Lethal Mutation: A Tails Fanfic
by Tailsisreal
Summary: 99 percent of genetic mutations are harmful or have no appreciable effect on their host organism. However, one young fox has been lucky enough to beat these impossible odds since birth, or has he? Slight Son-Amy and Knux-Rouge. My first fanfic!
1. Chapter 1: The Freak

Lethal Mutation: A Tails Fanfic

Summary: 99 of all genetic mutations are harmful or neutral in its effect on the host organism. For a certain fox, being in the 1 of the lucky ones whose mutations are actually a benefit is both a blessing and a curse. But is his uncanny IQ and extra appendage totally benign or will Tails find himself, for the first time ever, not being the exception to the rule?

Disclaimer: I do not own Sonic or any related characters. They belong to Sonic Team and Sega. All references to and characters from Sonic X belong to 4Kids TV.

**Foreword**

A few things I should say about this story before I get started:

1. This story takes place during the second season of Sonic X, between the episodes A Wild Win and Map of Mayhem to be exact.

2. The dialogue was meant to be read as the character's voice would say it in the show, so those who are familiar with the cartoons will probably get the most out of it. (case in point, Mr. Tanaka's and Ella's dialogue is meant to sound like their real wording and will sound wrong to anyone who doesn't know these characters.) Also, underlined words are meant to be spoken with an emphasis, where as sentences in italics are always unspoken thoughts from the character who is thinking them.

3. Characters that do not appear in this fic are anyone outside the Sonic X universe, Cosmo (she comes in at season 3.), the Chaotix (I love them, but they just didn't fit!), and Shadow (he is considered dead at this point in the cartoon series.)

4. Anyone who reads this story is **strongly encouraged** to review each chapter. I want reviews that ask about the story, point out non-grammatical flaws, and contain well thought-out compliments as to a particular portion of the story. **Do not flame this story just because you hate Sonic X!!**

Well, there you have it! Note that I will attempt to post a new chapter at least every week and that the story gets much better after the first couple chapters. Enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Freak

_Some things were not meant to come in two's, _He thought. _Even after becoming Sonic's best friend and loyal sidekick, people still call me a freak! It's not as bad here as back home on Mobius, but, still… I mean, sure they love me when I help Sonic save the day, but when he's not around I feel like the main attraction in a traveling circus sideshow! Wherever I go, people gawk and sneer. And the insults, I've heard them all: "Two-Tails, the Flying Furry Freak-a-zoid, Hairy-air, even Double Butt." The fact that I am too weak to really stand up for myself just makes things even worse. If only I was powerful enough to punish anyone that dared to call me names, then at least I would have some kind of respect from them. It seems like my whole life I have been ridiculed and despised because of my two tails, and many times I wish that I could just chop one of them off._

Tails the fox walked through downtown Station Square as he had these thoughts. People gaped and turned to see him as he walked alone on the sidewalk. Some wondered if he would give them an autograph, but still more of them pointed and stared at the only known talking fox with two tails. He had gone to run some errands because Mr. Tanaka, Ella, and Chuck were all busy, Chris was at school, and Sonic, as usual, was nowhere to be found around the house. The two heavily loaded grocery bags that he was carrying forced Tails to walk home, since he wasn't able to fly for long with this load and the X-Tornado couldn't land in downtown Station Square, at least not legally. Being essentially the best pilot in both his home world of Mobius and this world called Earth, He didn't doubt that he could land in the downtown area easily, especially if he transformed his plane into the multi-purpose walker mode, the X-Cyclone, for the landing and takeoff in the downtown area.

_I guess the people who can fly the best are the ones who don't need planes to do it, _He chuckled to himself while he waved his tails behind him freely. _Even though they seem to be a magnet for ridicule, my twin tails really do help me a lot! How many foxes can fly on their own, or humans, or even hedgehogs for that matter! I may be called a freak, but those people are probably just jealous. If it wasn't for my tails I never would have been able to keep up to Sonic as well as I do, and I would be worthless to him except to design new planes to fly for him. _Tails' smiling face started to sag as his next thoughts came into his mind. _Although, lately it seems that that's my __only real job anyway._ _Oh, great. Here comes that depressing feeling again..._

He always hated feeling like he was almost useless to his best buddy. Sometimes he dreamed about Sonic facing off against Eggman's newest robotic creation and still succeeding easily without his help. Worst of all, sometimes Sonic actually would single-handedly foil the evil Doctor's plans and confirm Tails' nightmares. _If he started carrying a ring with him into every battle instead of waiting for me to fire one to him, I would be out of the job, except maybe as a transport to take him to places he can't run to himself for a fight. I sometimes get to play a decoy role in really tough bouts, but I never defeat any of Eggman's robots, Sonic does. I sometimes wonder if Sonic actually cares for me as a little brother like he says or just as a talented mechanic that's a liability in battle. Lately, it almost seems like he spends much more time with Chris than with me, even though Sonic still calls me his little brother and best friend. At least he cares enough about me to not make fun of me like everyone else does._

Tails stopped at a bench on the sidewalk and sat down for a moment to clear his mind. He had absently wandered into the middle of the park in Station Square. He saw little kids playing with their parents. _Obviously too young to go to school yet_, Tails observed. One fell down and immediately started crying. Tails remembered something similar to that same thing happening to him once, not so long ago, on Mobius. He had only just met Sonic and had gone to live with him. One day, he fell out of a small tree and hit a rock with his knee near the house he and Sonic shared in the Mystic Ruins. Despite wanting to act tough around his new big brother, Tails had cried his eyes out because of the unbearable pain. But instead of calling him a wimp like everyone else would, Sonic had simply hugged him tightly until his tears stopped, just like the little boy's mother did now to the small human child Tails had been watching. Back then, Tails had been completely shocked by such a caring embrace from a person he had met for only a month or so, least of all from the legendary Sonic the hedgehog. _Well that answers that question, _Tails quickly thought as he resumed his hike home. _If that doesn't prove that Sonic really cares for me, then nothing else will!_

Now feeling somewhat lighter, even with the heavy load of groceries, Tails resolved to put his namesakes to work and fly the rest of the way home to Chris's house, mostly to avoid the gawking faces of the other pedestrians. But as he took flight, one more question popped into his mind that made him spontaneously laugh out loud. _When I fell out of that tree way back then, _he mused, _why didn't I just fly safely to the ground instead of falling like a brick!?_ This question, he knew, would probably never be answered.


	2. Chapter 2: The Daily Grind

Lethal Mutation

I decided that the first chapter was so short that anyone who read it would be bored and stop reading my awesome story. So, just this once, I have decided to post two chapters at the same time! (spontaneous applause and cheering) This chapter is a lot better than the last one and even starts the actual plotline, so make sure to read carefully! OK then, remember to read, review and, most importantly, have fun!

Chapter 2: The Daily Grind

Thorndike Residence, Station Square

"Thanks a lot, Sam!" Tails called back over his shoulder as he exited the super speedy racecar that he was certain wasn't approved for public transportation. Chris's Uncle Sam was the leader of the Speed Team and proudly carried the title of the fastest man on Earth, or, at least, the fastest human on Earth. Tails had misjudged the distance to Chris's house and the weight of the groceries he still carried, and he had almost fallen from the sky as he tried to fly home. Luckily, Sam Speed had happened to spot Tails on a corner looking rather tired and volunteered to give him a lift. _Note to self, _Tails thought, _Next time just walk home._ Tails had no sooner closed the door to Sam's roadster when he had floored it and took off. Upon reaching the Thorndike's mansion, Tails had exited the vehicle as fast as he could to kiss good old terra firma and escape the speeding deathtrap that Sam was driving as quickly as possible.

"If you ever need another lift, you know who to call!" Sam responded before peeling out of the Thorndike's driveway at a decidedly unsafe speed.

Tails walked straight to the front door and rang the doorbell. In seconds, Mr. Tanaka answered the door. "Ah, Master Tails! I see you have returned with the groceries that Ella sent you to purchase. I am very sorry that I was unable to obtain them myself and that you had to go in my stead." Mr. Tanaka uttered while letting the young fox inside.

"It's fine, Mr. Tanaka," Tails replied, "To be honest, I really needed the exercise. Besides, I needed to pick up a few more supplies for my new inventions anyway." Tails removed a smaller paper bag from one of the grocery bags which was emblazoned with the logo from a hardware store in downtown Station Square.

"Very well then, Master Tails, I shall take these supplies to the pantry immediately," Mr. Tanaka said before disappearing with the groceries in each hand. Tails had always wondered if the oriental butler really enjoyed his job and his obsession with etiquette as much as he seemed to show through his actions. _He may always act proper, but Mr. Tanaka is not always a stick-in-the-mud butler_, Tails knew. _Like that time after I saved Station Square from Eggman's missile detonating in downtown and people had mobbed the house trying to see me, Mr. Tanaka had dressed up like a baby in a stroller so that Ella could sneak me out of the house unseen under her skirt! _Tails laughed at the memory of the uptight butler in adult-sized baby clothes saying "goo-goo, gaa-gaa" as Ella pushed him through a crowd of paparazzi in a stroller. Ella, the sole housekeeper and cook for the Thorndike's mansion, also had a unique personality like Mr. Tanaka. She was always happiest when she was cleaning or cooking, and never seemed to mind extra chores at all. She took great pride in her work, but she also had a knack for improvising quick escapes and dodging the press, or rather making the press dodge her frying pan. Tails laughed even louder at the mental image of Ella chasing a news van down the driveway armed with a cast iron skillet.

"What's so funny, Tails?" a voice called from the top of the staircase in the mansion's lobby.

"Oh, nothing Chuck. Just a funny memory that popped into my head." Tails quickly replied.

"Well, would you mind giving me a hand in the lab?" Chris's grandpa Chuck asked.

"Sure thing! Be there in a jiffy!" Tails responded as he went to get some of his tools from the attic of the garage. Grandpa Chuck was the Ying to Mr. Tanaka's Yang. He was a brilliant scientist with a mind for high-tech devices and a loathing for fancy clothing or formal events. From almost day one, Tails and Chuck had become partners and friends working in Chuck's secret lab under the Thorndike mansion on all sorts of electronic gismos and gadgets. He loved spending time with Chuck while they both tinkered away on a new improvement for the X-Tornado or something else entirely.

Tails said hello to Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Vanilla as he passed through the living room where they were all sitting around talking about some mindless topics of interest to women only. It was obvious to the fox that Cream and Cheese both still seemed a little distant after the incident a week ago with Emerl going berserk. The copy-cat robot had suffered from amnesia and had become close friends to the young bunny and her chao pet before his original programming had suddenly reactivated. This caused him to destroy most of Station Square before Cream and Cheese were forced to destroy their new mechanical friend. Tails could only imagine the pain she must have felt at having to attack something that had become such a good friend to her and Cheese. _That would be almost like me having to kill Sonic because he is under Eggman's control somehow! I don't think I could do it, and, even if I did, I would never forgive myself for doing it._

Not wanting to raise suspicion from the women in the room, Tails quickly left the living room to get his spare tools from the garage attic. He made a mental note to pick some flowers for Cream later to cheer her up as he gathered his supplies and went back downstairs. He took the elevator down to the secret base and was greeted by Chuck already in his lab coat booting up the laptop that they used for their studies and experiments.

"I think that today we should be ready to test the new laser cannon we built that runs off of the chaos emerald's energy, Tails," Chuck said excitedly.

"Yea, I just hope that we can keep the cannon from short circuiting because of all that energy being used," Tails amended.

"Well, we won't know until we try, now will we Tails?" Chuck retorted.

"I agree, and there's only one way to find out!" Tails excitedly replied.

"OK then, Tails. Why don't you do the final pretest inspection while I… Tails? Tails! Is something wrong with you? Speak to me, Tails!" Chuck had heard the sound of something hitting the floor in the middle of his sentence and had turned around to see his lab partner passed out cold on the floor where he had once stood seconds ago. Unsure on what was happening or on what he needed to do, he rushed over to the young fox's unconscious body and held Tails' head in his lap gingerly.

"Wake up, Tails!" Chuck shouted at the comatose fox as he shook the unconscious form in his hands softly. Slowly, his eyes fluttered, and Tails suddenly sat up straight, now wide awake.

"What just happened?" the stunned Tails muttered to his now relieved partner.

"I wanted to ask you the same thing," came Chuck's reply. "Why would you black out like that all of the sudden?"

"Well, I am pretty tired from my trip into town today, but that couldn't be it, could it Chuck?" the kit suggested.

"Not likely, Tails," Chuck countered. "It would have to be a combination of that and some other factor that caused you to collapse just now."

At that very moment, a loud sound was heard from the fox's belly that betrayed an enormously neglected hunger. Tails had known that he was tired from the trip to and from downtown Station Square, but he had never remembered that he had also missed lunch and must have been starving by now.

"Well, well, well!" Chuck laughed. "I guess we know who the real culprit is now, don't we?"

"Whoops!" the embarrassed Tails said as he put his hand behind his head and grinned widely at his critical oversight. "I guess I am kind of hungry."

"It's OK, Tails," Chuck assured the poor fox, "Just don't let this happen again, you nearly scared me to death! I care about you, Tails, so don't go doing stupid things that might hurt you. Promise?"

"I'm sorry, Chuck. I promise to be more careful," Tails assured his partner.

"Good," Chuck accepted the fox's sincere apology. He glanced back at his wristwatch before continuing on with the conversation. "Well… Luckily, I think that it is almost dinner time, so let's get you some grub before you pass out again."

"Sounds great!" exclaimed Tails as he followed Chuck to the elevator that went back up to the house above.

* * *

_Nothing like a nice long run to a far off scenic spot to relax and burn the time away, _Sonic thought as he dashed back towards Station Square at just below the sound barrier. _I hope Ella cooked something really delicious for dinner tonight because I am one hungry hedgehog! _Even as he finished this thought, the blue hedgehog screeched to a halt in front of the Thorndike mansion. _Hey, I got a good idea on a joke I could play on Mr. Tanaka right now, _Sonic schemed while a large grin spread across his face. He walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell before dashing away into some bushes nearby. He had barely gotten hidden when Mr. Tanaka punctually opened the door.

"Hello?" called out the baffled Mr. Tanaka. "Who rang the doorbell just now?" After seeing and hearing nobody in response, he shrugged his shoulders and retreated inside again.

Snickering to himself, Sonic dashed up to the door and rang the bell before again hiding in the bushes. However, no one answered the door this time. _It's not like Mr. Tanaka to ignore the doorbell, _Sonic reflected. He hadn't noticed the side door open and a figure stealthily make its way toward the bushes in which he was hiding. As Sonic stood to dash up and ring the doorbell again, he was suddenly stopped dead in his tracks by a condescending voice from behind.

"Master Sonic! I should have thought that you were beyond such childish pranks as to falsely ring a person's doorbell and then hide in a bush and laugh at them!" boomed the voice of Mr. Tanaka as his head grew massively huge and became red with rage. As quickly as it had changed, Mr. Tanaka's head now returned to normal except for a gleaming stare directed straight towards Sonic. "Please kindly enter the house and proceed to the dining room for supper, and do refrain from such impetuous activities in the future." Sonic knew by his now commanding voice that this was not a request but an order that, for some reason, Sonic felt forced to obey. Mr. Tanaka was probably the weakest person that had ever threatened Sonic in his life, but something about the way this butler glared at him and chided him for his immaturity made Sonic want to avoid the understood "or else" at the end of his last sentence.

He made it to the dinner table just as everyone began to eat. He looked across the table at what Ella had cooked for tonight's meal. Instantly, he was glad that he came back when he did as Ella brought in a large platter full of steaming chili dogs and set it in front of him. He reached for the chili dog on the top of the stack just as it disappeared in a yellow blur of motion. Stunned, he looked around to find his adopted little bro eat half of the chili dog in one huge bite.

"Hey there buddy, gonna let me eat some too?" Sonic interjected as Tails polished off the first chili dog and reached for another.

"Oh! I'm sorry Sonic!" Tails quickly responded after realizing his rude manners. "I am just so hungry that I couldn't wait!"

"It's OK, everybody," Ella's voice chanted from the kitchen doorway, "I make plenty for everyone!"

"Still, Master Tails should learn proper manners for eating at a table with others," came Mr. Tanaka's newest 'suggestion.'

"You don't need proper manners when it's just an informal meal like chili dogs," retorted Chuck from the other end of the table. He could never resist a chance to oppose the uptight ways of the obsessive butler, although he never won. A quick glance from Mr. Tanaka was all it took to quiet him down instantly.

"So, is everyone ready for the big ski resort trip tomorrow?" asked Christopher Thorndike. "My dad is letting us use his private lodge at the best ski resort in the Rockies for the whole weekend." Chris's dad was the head executive of a major corporation that had a hand in almost every kind of business imaginable, from common house appliances to the water supply system for Station Square. His mother, on the other hand, was a fabulous and talented movie star that traveled the world staring in lead roles for major productions. That made Chris able to do whatever he wanted to, except spend time with them more often. He had been extremely lonely until he met Sonic and the others in what seemed like a long time ago.

"Oh, yes! Chris," replied Cream the cute little rabbit sitting next to her recently located mother, Vanilla. "I can't wait. This trip is going to be so much fun!"

"Chao! Chao!" replied Cream's best friend and pet chao, Cheese.

"Yeah! I'm going to take skiing lessons from some hunky guy!" blurted Amy the hedgehog in an attempt to make Sonic jealous, which only made her angry when he simply shrugged his shoulders in response.

"Then I suggest that we all get some rest so that we can get an early start tomorrow morning," Mr. Tanaka intruded, mostly to prevent Amy from chasing Sonic around the dining room with her giant Piko Piko Hammer.

"Right!" everyone responded at once and finished off their meals. Afterwards, everyone left the dining room to prepare for bed.

"You sure ate like a hog tonight, Eh, little bro?" Sonic teased Tails as they headed for their shared bedroom. "I haven't ever seen you eat so much food in one meal unless you were literally starving to death!"

"Yeah, well, I did forget to eat lunch before I had to go into town for an errand today. I'm kinda glad that I did though, because I probably would have barfed in Sam's car on the way home if I had had anything in my stomach at all!" replied the young fox as he climbed into his bed. He purposefully left out the incident in the lab today because he felt that it would only worry Sonic for no reason if he mentioned it.

Sonic failed to notice that Tails was not telling him everything that happened today, and he only laughed at the look of disgust that crossed his best bud's face as the kit no doubt remembered the hair-raising ride home earlier that day. Sonic had raced Sam Speed enough times to know how the Speed King liked to drive, fast and dangerous. "Well, goodnight little bro!" Sonic finally replied as he hopped into his own bed, and they both closed their eyes to sleep.

" 'Night, Sonic," whispered Tails almost inaudibly. Sleep was upon them in seconds.


	3. Chapter 3: Under the Weather

Lethal Mutation

Hello, again to all you fanfic readers! If you have read to this point, then you have probably seen that this is going to be a really interesting story. If you aren't convinced, just read this chapter. It has real Action! (spontaneous cheering from nowhere) Oh, and try to keep in mind that a horizontal line break in my chapters means that I have changed location, time, or perspective. But don't worry, I will always make sure that the change is understood in the next few paragraphs so as not to confuse my readers. I also need to say super-thanks to Zachary W and Nicend, my first ever official reviewers! (short video of fireworks and people celebrating in the streets) Also, mega-super-thanks to my anonymous reviewer and your awesome criticism! (I agree completely that Sonic spends way too much time with Chris and not Tails in the cartoons!) Please, keep sending in your wonderful reviews! Now enough of my jabbering, on with the story!!

Chapter 3: Under the Weather

Private Ski Lodge in the Rockies, Sunday Afternoon

The trip to the ski lodge had been uneventful. All weekend long, Chris and Amy were taking skiing lessons at the resort and showed a lot of improvement. Cream and Cheese were always out playing in the snow while Vanilla supervised them and sometimes played along. Mr. Tanaka was constantly running errands and keeping everyone's things in order as the others spontaneously came and went, but even he got a little time on the slopes. It turns out that Mr. Tanaka is a very accomplished skier himself and had once performed competitively when he was younger, or so he claims. Ella had stayed behind, of course, to mind the house and get in some extra cleaning while everyone was away. Sonic, being the daredevil he always was, spent every day carving up the slopes on his snowboard. _And he is really hard to keep up with, too!_ Tails was taught how to snowboard from Sonic a long time ago and had decided to join Sonic for this last run before they all headed back to Chris's house. Sonic seemed to insist on taking the most difficult and treacherous route down the mountain, and Tails, always the more cautious one, was constantly forced to find a safer, yet faster route to catch up again. _It's sad that today is our last day to have fun here,_ thought Tails. _I really have enjoyed this weekend with no annoying people or Eggman's robots attacking._

"Hey, Tails!" Sonic shouted to him as he pulled alongside the fox, accidentally spraying him with a pile of ice crystals. "Whoops, sorry bud!" Sonic apologized. "Good thing you were wearing your cool goggles!" Sonic was referring to Tails' all purpose goggles that he sometimes used when working in the lab or flying the now remodeled Tornado. "Watch this!" Sonic quickly changed the subject and sped toward a natural ramp ahead of them, kicking up more snow in Tails' eyes by accident. He vaulted off of the lip of the small cliff and immediately kicked free of his snowboard. Sonic did a double somersault, struck his classic "thumbs up" pose for a second, and finally landed on his discarded snowboard with only one hand and a huge smile across his face.

_What a showoff,_ Tails thought. _He can do almost anything, and it always turns out right. Well, it may not be impressive, but I should at least try some stunts before I have to leave, too._ Determined to follow Sonic's every move, Tails sped straight for the same small cliff that Sonic had leapt from. However, as he cleared the ramp and began to do a simple 180, Tails was blinded by a sudden flash of yellow from his coat pocket and, in his distraction, lost his grip on the board below him. _Uh, Oh! _Tails' mind raced to keep up with the situation as he fell towards the ground much too quickly. _I need to get my tails spinning and fast!_ thought the doomed fox. Unfortunately, the heavy coat that he was wearing hampered his ability to spin his tails fast enough to prevent hitting the ground. He came down fairly hard, but landed in a deep snow bank that absorbed the impact.

"Are you alright, little bro?" Sonic yelled as he ran up to the fox-shaped hole in the once pristine snow.

"I'm fine, Sonic," came the stunned Tails' reply as he sat up from his cold landing site with a flock of Flickies orbiting his head. He wasn't injured and nothing was broken, but he had definitely bruised his pride in beefing a completely routine stunt.

"Maybe you should leave all the stunts to me," said the grinning hedgehog as he offered a hand to help his buddy up.

Tails wanted to think of a good comeback to that, but drew up a blank and instead took his buddy's hand. "Maybe," was his only reply. Then, Tails remembered something odd about the jump he had just bombed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the yellow chaos emerald that he normally used to power the X-Tornado. "Hey look, Sonic! The emerald is glowing, and so is the ground right here!" Tails said after taking a step back in shock.

"What?" came Sonic's startled response. "Did you hit your head that hard, buddy?"

"No really, Sonic, look!" Tails pointed a finger at his flashing yellow emerald to the crater he had created in the snow. Sure enough, the frozen ground below the snow was glowing in a bright, white light which was barely noticeable because of the snow still covering it. Tails used his hands to dig through the permafrost until he at last unearthed a chaos emerald. "Wow!" he exclaimed. Tails quickly returned his yellow emerald to his pocket to prevent the other crystal clear emerald from creating an electromagnetic disturbance that would prove very painful and might draw unwanted attention.

"Nice find, bro!" Sonic joined in as Tails held the new emerald in his hands. _Of all the people that I know, that little kit must be the luckiest,_ thought Sonic. _Mr. Tanaka has even told us many stories of a mythical creature in his home country's folklore called a kitsune that looks a lot like Tails and is supposed to be the ultimate good luck charm, besides Lucky._ Sonic laughed at the memory of the diminutive creation. Lucky was a robot that Eggman had created to find chaos emeralds a long time ago. It was the clumsiest klutz in the universe and not particularly loyal to anyone, but it survived, none the less, on sheer dumb luck. "This is almost the last emerald we needed to find to have all seven, Tails! We have only one more to find now," exclaimed the hopeful hedgehog.

"Indeed, now hand it over!" carried a very unwelcome voice hovering directly behind them.

"Eggman!" both Sonic and Tails turned and replied in unison. Floating in front of them was a teacup shaped anti-gravity pod surrounded by buttons, knobs, levers, and display screens. Sitting in the center of this contraption was a bald, slightly older man with a huge, bushy moustache dressed in a red jumpsuit with gold pouches and a pair of magnifying goggles fastened around his forehead.

"Yes, that's right you two half-wits," Eggman said through mocking laughter. "It is I, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, and I have come for that chaos emerald!" He pointed a long, gloved finger at the object that Tails now held close to his chest.

"Forget it!" responded Tails as he clutched tightly to the emerald in his hand. "You can't have it Dr. Eggman!"

"I wasn't asking for permission you two-tailed freak!" Eggman hotly replied. "I guess someone needs to learn to respect their elders!" He jabbed at a button on his control panel in front of him and immediately a tank with a large satellite dish instead of a turret appeared from the woods behind him. "Meet my newest creation, the Freeze-a-tron 5,000!"

"What does this hunk of junk do, Egghead? Mess with our satellite reception?" Sonic goaded the now irate Eggman.

"Oh, it does much more than that, Sonic the hedgehog! First I add an emerald to the center of the main dish…" As he said this, a robotic arm shot out from below his floating chair and yanked the chaos emerald out of Tails' unsuspecting hands and set it into a hole at the center of the giant satellite dish on the tank-bot. "And then the real fun begins! Whooooo ho ho ho ho ho!" Eggman's put a hand to his mouth as his tilted his nose to the sky in his annoying trademark laugh. "Now, Freeze-a-tron 5,000, ATTACK!" Eggman shouted out of pure anticipation. The dish on top of the robot began to glow a pale blue and aimed directly for Sonic and Tails.

"Get down!" yelled Sonic towards his little buddy before he tackled the immobilized fox to the ground. A coherent blue beam of light burst from the robot's dish straight over their heads and nailed the rock wall behind them. As they both turned to look, Sonic noticed that the wall behind them was now covered in about three feet of solid, sparkling ice. "Talk about your cold reception!" Sonic just couldn't resist the lame, spur-of-the-moment joke. Then, he revved into a spin dash and sped off towards the frigid opponent.

"Blast him!" commanded Eggman as he saw Sonic closing in on his newest creation. At least 20 missiles streamed out of the back of the robotic tank and started chasing after Sonic. Sonic ran all over the mountain's face, fooling the missiles into hitting rocks, trees, and even each other. A couple of the missiles detonated too close to Sonic and threw him into the air. He landed next to Tails behind the cover of a snowdrift.

"Tails, you gotta go for help!" shouted Sonic to his frightened buddy.

"Right, I'll go back to the lodge and get the X-Tornado fired up!" replied the worried fox before he grabbed his snowboard and sped downhill as fast as he could.

"Until he gets back, I'd better find a way to put this 'bot on ice!" Sonic said to himself as he watched Tails disappear around a wooded area of the mountain. Instinctively, he launched himself away from the snowdrift he had been hiding behind just as it became encased in solid ice. _Can't stay still for long or I'll be a hedgehog-cicle. At least it can't get a lock on me while I'm running around._ Just then, a near miss from a freeze ray blast directly in front of him changed his mind on how accurate the arctic tank really was. _Maybe I should try another frontal assault,_ Sonic thought on his feet. He turned and headed straight for the robot at full speed.

"Ah ah ah, Sonic! I wouldn't do that if I were you!" Eggman shouted out while grinning widely. "Freeze-a-tron 5,000, execute maneuver Alpha-Two-Beta!" In response to Eggman's codenamed instructions, the satellite dish atop the tank-bot blasted a wide semicircle of ice on the ground about 10 feet in front of Sonic.

_Uh, oh!_ Sonic realized too late that he couldn't stop in time to avoid slipping on the icy speed bump. As he attempted to screech to a stop, he lost his balance on the ice and unceremoniously fell face first into a snow bank. "OK, Egghead, I'm through playing around!" the now enraged hedgehog fired back at the laughing Doctor.

"Whoo ho ho ho ho! I think that you need to chill, Sonic!" Eggman replied to Sonic's angry response.

Another freeze-ray blast caught Sonic off guard and froze his feet to the mountainside. Unable to move, Sonic realized that he was helpless. _So this is how it ends, huh? Egghead actually wins after all these years? Who would have thought?!_

"Now to finish you off, you pesky hedgehog!" Eggman said with another evil, annoying laugh as the tank-bot shot five more missiles at the stranded Sonic. However, just before the missiles converged on their target, they spontaneously detonated prematurely. "What the…?" remarked the confused Eggman, having expected roasted hedgehog and having, once again, been disappointed. He looked into the sky to see the X-Tornado being piloted by Tails alone as it swooped around for another pass, this time targeting his precious Freeze-a-tron 5,000. "Grrrrr! Well, don't just sit there! Bring that plane down!!" Eggman screamed at his latest invention.

* * *

_It's charging its freeze ray again to blast me out of the sky,_ observed Tails as he barreled straight towards the arctic tank. _I'm just glad that I got here just in time to save Sonic._ A blue beam of light lanced out at the X-Tornado and traced all the way across the forward cockpit and down the left side of the fuselage as Tails tried to pull away from the blast. Tails couldn't see clearly through the now iced-over canopy and the wings on the left side no longer responded to his controls. "Mayday, Mayday! I'm going down on the mountain!" Tails shouted in fear into his headset as he wrestled with the controls. _Sonic's still in trouble,_ he remembered. _If I crash now, then he is a goner! _He managed to fire off a single ring towards Sonic's last location as the X-Tornado crashed into the cliff face.

* * *

Sonic watched in horror as the freeze ray blast turned the X-Tornado into an ice cube that plummeted toward the mountainside. "No! TAILS!!" he screamed as the collision of the plane on the cliff face caused a small avalanche that almost completely buried the aircraft. Then he saw a small golden ring flying straight towards him from the direction of the downed airplane. He grabbed the power ring that Tails had sent him right before his crash and used some of its power to melt the ice around his frozen feet. "I'm gonna get you for that, Eggman!" Sonic said so vehemently that Eggman visibly cringed. Using the remaining power of the ring that he just caught to charge up a super spin dash, Sonic ripped straight through the base of the tank-bot directly between the treads and came out the other side before the robot could react.

"Oh no! Not my beautiful Freeze-a-tron 5,000!" Eggman lamented as the robo-tank glowed brightly and exploded, sending him into the stratosphere. Sonic caught the emerald as it fell from being launched in the explosion and turned to see everyone else driving up in snowmobiles.

"Great job, Sonic!" said Chris seated behind Mr. Tanaka on the lead vehicle.

"But where is Tails?" asked Cream who rode behind her mother Vanilla, who obviously didn't have much skill in driving a snowmobile because Chuck was squeezed into the front seat to drive the thing.

"Chao?" Cheese chimed in with a low, solemn tone as it hugged Cream's shirt.

"He crashed up higher on the mountain. C'mon, guys!" Sonic instantly replied before dashing up the mountain himself. He reached the crash site first and immediately began excavating the buried forward cockpit. By the time the others joined him, they could all see a foot-thick, solid sheet of ice preventing them from opening the cockpit.

"How do we get through that to get Tails out?" Chris again spoke first.

"Luckily, I came prepared for such an emergency," calmly replied Mr. Tanaka. He took out a large ice pick and small hammer and began to chip the ice away slowly.

"This is taking too long!" argued Sonic after a couple minutes of seemingly no progress.

"Let me try, Mr. Tanaka!" said Amy. He acquiesced and watched her as she jammed the ice pick as far as she could into the layer of ice. Then she took out her trusty giant Piko Piko Hammer and smashed the ice pick in as hard as she could. At first, nothing happened except that Amy dropped her hammer at the pain of hitting a solid object so hard, but then cracks started spreading outwards from the ice pick until the entire wall of ice shattered, leaving no more obstacles between them and Tails in the cockpit.

"Nice work, Ames!" Sonic said while flashing a "thumbs up" towards her.

"Oh, it was nothing Sonic," responded the flustered Amy who now blushed as she clasped her hands behind her back.

Chuck climbed into the now opened cockpit and gingerly lifted Tails out of his seat. He actually had to sit him back down again at first because he forgot to unbuckle the unconscious fox's safety harness before attempting to lift him. He carried him to a stretcher-bed that was tied to the back seat of one of the snowmobiles. He let out a sigh of relief that reassured everyone, who were now watching to see if Tails was alright. "He is fine. No broken bones, a few cuts and bruises, but otherwise fine."

"Then why isn't he moving?" inquired the still terrified Cream as she clutched at her mother's long skirt.

"He was probably knocked out in the crash. He has a bruise on his forehead from the dashboard," answered Chuck, as calmly as he could sound. "The only real danger Tails is in right now is that being buried in snow and ice for several minutes could cause serious hypothermia. We need to get him back to the lodge immediately and warm him up."

"Leave it to me!" volunteered Sonic, who grabbed his little brother's shivering body and raced down the mountain as fast as he could. _Just hold on a little longer bro, hold on!_

* * *

_Something feels wrong,_ was his first thought. _No, wait. That's not it. No, something is just different. It's… Oww! Wait, that's it! I can feel pain!_ Slowly Tails began to reassume control over the nerves in his body. He almost wished that he hadn't. His whole body ached, his head felt like a smashed pumpkin, and he was still rather cold although he felt like he was wrapped in a blanket and next to something hot. He wanted to open his eyes and see where he was, but they felt so heavy that he let out a weak moan instead. Then he heard footsteps approaching from someone close by. _I'd better look around before they get to me._ He forced his eyes open slowly to see a room in the Thorndike's private ski lodge. He sat next to a roaring fire in the single fireplace, and he was wrapped up like a mummy in multiple blankets. Then he saw the familiar face of Amy staring down at him.

"So you finally woke up, didn't 'cha?" Amy redundantly remarked to the now conscious Tails.

"Amy?" Tails spoke confusedly, "What happened?"

"You and Sonic were attacked by Eggman on the mountain, remember? You saved Sonic, but ended up being shot down and crashing into the cliff face," Amy reminded the befuddled fox.

"Oh, that's right! Wait! Did you say Sonic made it out OK? And what about the chaos emerald I found? And what happened to the X-Tornado?!" Tails sputtered out as he sat bolt upright, now fully recalling the day's events.

"They're all fine and perfectly safe, Tails." It was Chuck's voice from across the room. "Sonic managed to defeat Eggman thanks to your help, and he caught the chaos emerald from the robot as it exploded. As for the X-Tornado, well, it is still being uncovered, defrosted, and hauled down the mountain from the crash site, but it will probably be back at the mansion by the time we get there tonight."

"Chuck!" Tails turned to see his friend in the doorway.

"You gave us quite a scare today, Tails. It almost looked like you were a goner for a while there," Chuck responded somberly.

"Sorry, Chuck. I know that I promised never to put myself in danger like that again, but… I… well," muttered Tails remembering his promise to Chuck the night before in the Thorndike's secret lab.

"It's OK, Tails. You had to help Sonic, and you ended up saving his life. Even if you were a little bit reckless, everything turned out OK." The last thing Chuck had wanted to do with his previous statement was to make Tails feel guilty.

Tails just smiled at the reassuring words and felt glad that Sonic made it out unscathed. Amy, who didn't know about Tails' promise to Chuck a few days before, looked quizzically at the two males before deciding not to ask any questions. Tails was glad. He didn't really feel like talking anymore. Another surge of pain and fatigue had made staying awake an epic struggle, and he quickly returned to lying down by the fireplace. As he drifted to sleep, he instinctively curled his twin tails around his body for extra warmth. He somehow didn't care if anyone saw him curled up like a baby kit today. Amy and Chuck had left the room to tell the others, who were busy packing, that Tails was fine and sound asleep, so neither of them noticed the stifled sneezes that were let out by the fox, nor would they have thought anything of it if they had heard them. However, these were the sounds that would soon decide the fate of Earth and all its inhabitants in the very near future.


	4. Chapter 4: Just Like Old Times

Lethal Mutation

Hello again, all three or four dedicated readers that I know of! Seriously, guys! Almost 100 visitors to this story so far, and only 5 reviews?! Well, at any rate, super-ultra-mega-giga-(you get the picture) thanks to my continuing reviewers Zachary W and Nicend! You guys seriously rock! Also, thanks to the readers who have favorited my story already, but haven't reviewed. Don't be afraid, I won't spike you if you give a lame review, just if you give me none! (If anyone that runs this site reads this, I am not really serious, seriously!) I also want to send out a missing reviewer alert for whoever was my first anonymous reviewer. Come back, mysterious person with sage and wonderful advice!!

Anyways, for all of you people that wanted to know where in the world last chapter's cliffhanger would take this story, I have a surprise for you! On the same note, anyone who is wondering when Knuckles was going to appear in this story is also in for a surprise! But, since I can't satisfy everyone at once, only one group will get their wish in this chapter. Which one will it be? Just read on to find out!

Chapter 4: Just Like Old Times

Angel Island, the same Sunday as last chapter.

_I have the best job in the world, _he thought to himself. _All day long I just stand around doing whatever I please as long as I protect one huge gem that no one could even steal unless they used a forklift to carry it. It seems strange that I had to prove myself to be the toughest echidna in existence just to get such an easy, laid-back job. _Knuckles pondered that last thought for a while. _Well, actually, I may __be__ the only echidna left in existence! I guess that's the only real problem with my job; there is nobody else to talk to! Even when I do get an unexpected visitor, I have to kick them out to prevent anything from happening to the Master Emerald. This job is very important, and I can't take any chances or the world will be in grave danger. _Knuckles just sighed. He had a reputation as the toughest being alive and had a matching personality. The only time he ever showed that the loneliness truly affected him was when he was all alone on his floating island in the sky. Even then, Knuckles' pride would cause him to only utter a single sigh before once again resuming his concrete block of all weak emotions. _Then again, _Knuckles thought, _everybody needs a vacation now and then, even if their job is as easy as mine. I think that a little time off couldn't hurt anything…, but only for one day!_ His mind had caught his willpower fading and had compromised to allow him only a 24 hour reprieve without a guilty conscience. _Only question is, where will I go?_ As he gazed off into the land below where Angel Island now floated, he remembered the perfect spot.

* * *

_It sure has been a long time,_ Knuckles reminisced seeing the rundown streets and street corner vendors of a small Chinese city. _This place doesn't seem to have changed a bit, though._ As if to prove his point, a gang of very familiar crooks surrounded him as he walked down a shady alley.

"I've been waiting for a long time for you to show up, bub! I'm gonna make you pay for making a fool out of me and escaping with my prisoner and my treasure!" The voice came from an aging, slightly overweight man dressed in a white collared shirt with khaki pants and who wore the stereotypical face of a mob boss. It took a couple of seconds for Knuckles to remember where he had seen this face before.

"Are you still mad about when Hawk and I escaped your prison cell and grabbed the chaos emerald before you could?" Knuckles smiled as he recognized the glare that the older man gave him. "Well, I may still be mad that you locked us up in the first place!" Knuckles said as he folded his arms across his chest defiantly.

"Then I guess it's personal," retorted the familiar boss with a chuckle. "Get him guys! I want him pulverized!"

Ten men rushed at Knuckles all at once. Being a superior fighter to any human, Knuckles assumed a defensive stance and waited for the attackers to get into range, undaunted by the unfair numbers of 10 to 1 odds. Rather than attack, however, Knuckles simply ducked and rolled out of the center of the rapidly closing circle at the last second. All the men collided together in a heap where he had once stood.

"Come on! Don't tell me you've waited all this time for revenge and this is all you got, old man!" taunted Knuckles.

"Quit fooling around and get him!" the aging boss shouted to his men.

Suddenly, Knuckles found himself surrounded again by the men, only this time they had knives drawn. _This ought to be fun!_ Knuckles told himself. A man quickly lunged forward from the circle and slashed his knife at the level of Knuckles' throat. Knuckles easily defeated the strike to his jugular with a quick step backwards and countered by grabbing the assailant's wrist, twisting it over 180 degrees causing the man to lose his grip on his knife, and hurling the man over his shoulder into another attacker behind him. A loud scream from his victim told Knuckles that he was now only outmanned 9 to 1. _The pain from that wrist will be unbearable, _he assessed. _I think I might have actually torn some of the muscles in his arm with that one._ He grinned as the other men stared in disbelief at the ease of Knuckles' devastating counter attack. _These men are definitely not professionals. I have them spooked!_

"Hyaahhhh!" shouted another man as he foolishly announced his attack. Knuckles sidestepped a flurry of stabs to the chest from the man directly to his left, and retaliated with a lightning-fast uppercut that collided with the man's jaw in a sickening sound of bones breaking. The man fell to the street from the one hit KO. _Two down, eight to go!_ Knuckles was enjoying this mockery of a fight so far. _If they keep coming one at a time, this will be easy!_ As if the remaining men could read minds, his assailants closed the circle by taking a couple more steps forward. A quick movement by the man to Knuckles' front-left spurred the echidna into a dodge to the right. The attack was only a feint, however, and the man that Knuckles had now turned his back to took advantage of the distraction. With a swift backhanded slash, the man laid open a large diagonal gash in the echidna's exposed backside from his left shoulder to his right mid-torso.

"Aaaahhhh!!" shouted out Knuckles at the pain of having his back laid open like a cleaned fish. He realized too late that he had seriously underestimated his still eight to one disadvantage, despite his opponents' somewhat lack of skill. Seeing the moment of weakness in the otherwise invincible echidna, all the other men advanced rapidly with their knives slashing. "You think that one cut is enough to stop me?" hollered the enraged Knuckles, "Think again!!" He quickly spun into a red whirlwind of punches, jabs, kicks, and thrusts as the men began their attack as a mob. His aggressive assault beat back several attackers immediately, all of them knocked out cold. Those who escaped his initial punishment were sought out and pummeled mercilessly. One man took a powerful kick full force to the stomach and coughed up blood from a punctured lung. Another unlucky soul was nailed in the hip by a mighty punch and crumpled to the pavement, momentarily paralyzed from the waist down. The two final men were KO'd by Knuckles' smashing their two skulls together with a frightening amount of force. As he looked around at his handiwork, Knuckles saw 10 men all strewn about the alleyway. A few where attempting to limp or crawl away, a couple were still screaming in sheer pain, and the rest were out cold in the middle of the road. Every single one of Knuckles' defeated assailants would need medical attention of some sort, and a few men looked like they would need help fast if they were going to survive. _I may have overdone it a little, _Knuckles realized as his rage cooled to allow him a twinge of guilt for the brutally mauled bodies all around him.

"No one makes a fool of me!" yelled the elderly boss as he stared slack-jawed at his best men all mutilated in the street. He now held a loaded Magnum in his right hand, which was aimed directly at Knuckles' skull. His finger tightened around the trigger as the older man fantasized about killing the only thing in his entire long reign as gang leader that had ever dared oppose him and won, twice. Then, the elderly man was suddenly thrown to the ground as a heavy object tackled him just as a single shot rang out.

* * *

"Urghhh!" he painfully shouted through his barred teeth. The pain from the wound was only intensified by the stinging of the antibacterial rinse that was now being applied to it. Luckily, the large diagonal gash was superficial only and hadn't gone deeper into any muscle tissue. A strip of gauze bandage was fastened to the entire length of the now dressed wound, and Knuckles was allowed to turn back around to face his Good Samaritan. It was none other than the very same person that he had come back to this place to find, Hawk. Hawk was a slightly rotund human with a brown coat and pants that stood about a head taller than Knuckles, which is still fairly short by human standards. His favorite occupation was treasure hunting, and he was the kind of man that could never lie to a friend, of which Knuckles happened to be his best one. "I guess that I owe ya one now, Eh, bud?" Knuckles mentioned to his old buddy.

"No way, Knuckles! You see, now we're even," replied Hawk. He had been the one who had overheard the commotion in the alleyway and had snuck up for a closer look. Hawk had been shocked to see his long-lost friend Knuckles in a fight for his life. Hawk had known that he wasn't a good enough fighter to help his buddy so he had just watched from the shadows, but when the leader of the gang had aimed a gun at Knuckles' head, he had figured that he needed to do something. His flying tackle had knocked the elderly crime boss down and the weapon had fired a split second later, missing Knuckles' skull by mere inches. Disarmed, Hawk had grappled with the man and won. Seconds later, police and paramedics had arrived at the scene and carted away the criminals, most of them in stretchers. Hawk had then led Knuckles to his secret hideaway to talk and see to his injury.

"Well, I guess you're right, Hawk. I had almost nearly forgot about how I saved your life the first time we met," Knuckles thought out loud. He had been searching for a chaos emerald in an old ruin when Hawk had cried out for help. Knuckles had saved Hawk from being squashed by a clichéd falling ceiling booby-trap, and, in return, Hawk had given Knuckles news later that he had found a chaos emerald and wanted to give it to him. However, the same gang boss that had nearly blown Knuckles away today had kidnapped him and Hawk, hoping that they would tell him the location Hawk had hidden the emerald in. After busting out of their dungeon cell, Hawk had led Knuckles to the spot where the emerald was buried in the subway. Eggman's robo-ninja and Rouge the Bat had attempted to steal the emerald once it was uncovered, but Knuckles had defeated the robot with Hawk's help once Rouge had given up and left. "That oversized red jewel caused a lot of trouble for us last time!" Knuckles laughed as Hawk also joined in. To this day, no one knew why the vacant subway station had collapsed except for them, Eggman, and possibly Rouge.

"Actually, I'm glad that you mentioned that, Knuckles," Hawk interrupted their laughter at remembering that intense night of winner-takes-all emerald snatching. That red emerald had changed hands so often that just finding out who had it had been a challenge. Hawk ended up with the emerald in the end which, true to his word, he immediately gave to Knuckles despite its undeniable worth. Now, Hawk held a small burlap bag in his hands and tossed it at Knuckles. Knuckles instinctively caught the parcel and opened the tied off lip of the bag. As he stared into the sack to view its contents, a bright red light escaped into the room from the opened lip of the bag.

"No way! It's the same chaos emerald that you gave to me back when we first met!" exclaimed the dumbfounded Knuckles as he removed the chaos emerald from its concealment inside the sack.

"That's right, Knuckles! I was on another one of my treasure hunts in some ancient ruins far away from here when I found this emerald half buried in mud in the middle of a deep jungle. I realized that something must have scattered the emeralds again and that you would be needing this back someday," Hawk spoke to his best friend. "I want you to have it again."

"I can't just accept this; it's too valuable for you to just give away!" Knuckles replied to Hawk's overwhelming generosity. "Last time I paid for the emerald by saving your life, Hawk, but now that we're even, I have to give you something in return first." He extended his hand with the emerald in his palm to return it to his friend.

"You already have, Knuckles!" Hawk quickly countered, having anticipated such a response from his best friend. "I have been chased and sought after by that gang of crooks ever since the day we escaped their jail cell. Now that you have put them out of business permanently, I can start living my life without checking over my shoulder every two seconds! Plus, you kept your promise to return to see me again someday, even though it must have been hard to leave the Master Emerald and Angel Island unguarded." Knuckles had told Hawk all about his job and where he lived the first time that they had met. "Come on, Knuckles, you deserve it," Hawk finished while shoving Knuckles' hand with the emerald in it away from himself.

Knuckles shifted his gaze from Hawk's sincere smile to the red emerald and back again. Finally, he pocketed the emerald close to his chest in a pouch of skin hidden by his red and white fur. "Thanks, Hawk! You know this means a lot to me," Knuckles broke the silence at last.

"I know," Hawk replied swiftly. "But… If you really want to pay me back for that emerald so badly, maybe you could join me on an adventure sometime? I have just started a new case on the world's oldest map, and you are welcome to come along."

"Why search for a map when you could go looking for treasure?" Knuckles inquisitively asked the excited treasure hunter.

"Because a fellow from a museum in the U.S. says that it might be the link between other old maps and the last know coordinates of the lost island of Meracia," Hawk explained. "I never heard the tales myself, but it is supposedly a highly-advanced civilization that was lost under the sea thousands of years ago. This man wants this map to find the location of the ruins of Meracia, and he is willing to pay any price to get his hands on it. So, do you want to come?"

"Sure, If you don't mind me hangin' around," Knuckles accepted the invitation.

"No problem, Knuckles! I won't be leaving for another week or so, which gives you plenty of time to get ready. Speaking of time, you had better get going, don't you think?" Hawk spoke up, noticing that it was already nightfall.

_Oh No_,_ he's right!_ thought Knuckles as he became aware of the late hour as well. _I have been away all day! What if someone has tried to steal the Master Emerald while I was gone?_ Worry began to show on Knuckles' usually perfectly stalwart face. _I need to get back_ _to Angel Island, now!_ "Sorry that I have to leave so soon, Hawk, but you're right, I need to get goin' right away! Goodbye, friend!" Knuckles said over his shoulder as he left the secret hideaway via the fifth story window in the room. As he glided away, dreadlocks blowing in the night breeze, he heard a voice from the window shout "goodbye" before he was out of earshot.

* * *

(note: OK, after reading through this chapter one last time, I thought I might want to say something about the violence. Knuckles is used to fighting robots all the time, not flesh and blood humans, so he probably would mess those guys up like that in reality. And, remember that he felt bad afterwards. Graphic is not my thing, though, so don't worry about too many more brutal fight scenes in the future. This chapter was a huge reason my fanfic was rated Teen.)


	5. Chapter 5: Sick as a Fox

Lethal Mutation

Reviews, Reviews, wondrous Reviews! Thanks ever so much for my repeat critics, Nicend and Asher Tye! (The case of the mystery reviewer has been solved!!) Also thanks to my two new reviewers, Pokelad and Drandu! (video of cavemen beating their chests and howling in celebration) Hey, even a two-word review deserves some recognition in my book! I blame the disappearance of my other loyal reviewer, Zachary W, to the fact that I am uploading these chapters so quickly. (I only meant to post one chapter per week, but I just couldn't wait that long!) Oh, by the way, I have already decided to create a forum for discussing my story further and asking questions about the plot on this site. It should already be up by now and ready for business under Games/Sonic the Hedgehog. It's name is Lethal Mutation: The Forum. (a la Spaceballs: The Movie, which I don't own either in case a disclaimer is needed.) Use it if you want to, just read the rules first and don't stop reviewing anyways!

OK, I think you guys have waited long enough to know what happens to Tails next, so that's what this whole chapter is about! Lovers of cuteness and innocence also beware, this story begins in mostly Cream's POV! (Don't expect Tailsream from me, though!) The title may seem like a dead give-away (not to mention a bad pun), but there is a mysterious character that appears at the end which any self-respecting Sonic fan should be able to recognize quickly. I have almost finished the last chapter of this story now, but I still consider this one to be my absolute favorite! (Writing as Cream is extremely fun! Cuteness Meter, Overload!) Anyways, lets see if my readers will agree with me! Enjoy!

Chapter 5: Sick as a Fox

On a routine Monday morning after the conclusion of the ill fated ski trip, a certain young bunny is caught in the worst of all dillemas with her best friend, boredom.

_Today is such a nice day! _she thought. "I know, let's go outside and play some more, Cheese!" Cream had just returned from a pretend tea party at the Thorndike's gorgeous gardens around the mansion. After a weekend of fun and relaxation, everyone had started the new week refreshed and ready to go. Chris had gone to school already, while Mr. Tanaka was as busy as ever catching up for the time he lost while on vacation. Chuck had been working all morning on defrosting and repairing the X-Tornado in his lab. Ella was giving Amy more of her coveted cooking lessons, and, judging by the delicious aromas that filled the house, Amy was getting very good at it. Sonic was snoozing on the roof of the mansion as he customarily did after his morning run to who-knows-where. Her mom, Vanilla, was sitting next to Cream in the living room on the wide sofa in front of the TV.

"Chao?" Cheese replied in a tone of voice that suggested its last statement could be literally translated as 'again?' Cream understood why Cheese wasn't excited. After a couple hours of playing the same games in the same place, she had also gotten tired of playing outside.

"What if someone were to go with you two?" asked Vanilla to the already bored chao and bunny. "I am busy with my knitting right now, but maybe you could ask somebody else to play with you, sweetie."

"That's a great idea! Come on, Cheese!" the now reinvigorated Cream said as she left the room with Cheese flying right beside her. _Wait, _Cream suddenly remembered, _there is nobody else to play with right now. I know that Chris, Ella, Amy, Mr. Tanaka, Chuck, Sonic, and even my mother are all either busy or gone right now, _the small bunny counted the different people on her fingers as she said their names to make sure that she hadn't forgotten anyone. _So that only leaves us… and Tails!_ Cream suddenly realized that nobody seemed to have seen the fox get out of bed this morning. _That's strange; Tails is usually up before I am. Maybe nobody woke him because he needed his rest after the accident yesterday? _Cream contemplated whether she would get in trouble if she asked him to play with her today. _Amy always says that it never hurts to ask, so I'll go see if Tails is awake yet._ Cream went upstairs to the room that Sonic and Tails slept in and knocked gently on the door. No response came from the room. _Maybe he's still sleeping? _Cream guessed. Quietly, she opened the door and snuck up to the prone figure of the still sleeping Tails. _How do I wake him up so that he won't be mad at me and refuse to play with us? _the young bunny wondered. As she tried to answer this question, Cheese started to poke Tails on the side of his face to wake him up, and Cream quickly grabbed the little chao to try to stop it from making Tails angry.

"Nnnngghhh," Tails groaned as he woke to the view of Cream holding Cheese by the side of his bed. "Morning already? Wait, what are you two doing here?" Tails didn't sit up yet, and instead he turned his head toward the unexpected wakeup callers.

"We wanted to know if you would play with us because everyone else is busy and we're really bored," said Cream, hoping that Tails was in a good mood.

"I guess so, but what time is it?" Tails said as he rubbed his eyes with his fists. He cringed while he felt along his forehead, which had been bandaged extensively from the day before.

"I'm not sure, but Chris left for school about an hour ago." Cream didn't have a watch on her and she hadn't thought to look at a clock recently, so she decided to tell Tails something that she did know.

"Really, wow!" Tails said after doing the math in his head. "That means I've been sleeping for almost a whole day!" Tails had never woken up before the trip back home yesterday afternoon, so he had been carried into the car and, upon arrival at the Thorndike mansion that evening, back into his room by Sonic. _What I don't understand, though, is why I still don't feel rested, _Tails thought as he yawned deeply. _As a matter of fact, I should be feeling a whole lot better by now._His head still throbbed, but at least his whole body no longer ached. What puzzled him was that now he felt nauseated, his throat was sore, and his nose was running. He felt a sratchy feeling in his throat as well until suddenly, "Cough!" _Oh great,_ he realized, _I must have caught a cold because of being nearly frozen to death yesterday! Now what should I do? I have never felt like this before,_Tails pondered as he clutched his stomach in an attempt to stop the growing pain he felt in his gut. "Ahh-Chooo!" The sneeze had come also unexpectedly as Tails quickly turned his head away from Cream and Cheese.

"Chao!" shouted the alarmed Cheese at the sudden sound as he hid behind Cream's left shoulder.

Cream looked at Tails with large, sympathetic eyes as he continued to cough some more, now feeling very sorry for the unfortunate fox. She knew what was wrong with Tails; he was sick. She had only been sick a couple times before back home on Mobius, and she remembered how bad it had felt and how she had needed her mom's attention all the time. _But Tails doesn't have a mom, at least not here,_ she realized. _I guess I will have to do what my mom does when I'm sick for Tails instead. _While she searched her memory for ideas on how she could help Tails, she remembered the first thing that her mom had always done to check if she was actually sick. Cream slowly placed her hand on Tails' forehead to feel if it was warm. Her mom had told her that a warm forehead meant that someone was very sick and needed help. After barely touching Tails' forehead, she immediately pulled back her hand quickly, as if it had touched a bear trap instead of harmless fur. Cream's eyes started quiver in worry as she reached her conclusion about the results of her little test of Tails' health. There was no doubt about it, Tails' forehead hadn't just felt warm; it was clearly very hot. Immediately, she ran out of the room, down the stairs (almost colliding with Mr. Tanaka), and burst into the living room where her mother was still sowing.

"What's the matter, darling?" Vanilla instinctively asked when she saw the look of worry in Cream's eyes.

"Oh, Mommy! Tails is sick!" blurted out the alarmed bunny as Cheese nodded its head while floating next to her.

"Are you sure, Cream?" Vanilla asked, although she never doubted her daughter for a second.

"Yes, he sneezed and he coughed a lot and his forehead is really hot," argued the young bunny in a panicky voice.

"Well, I was afraid of that, my dear," Vanilla spoke to her softly. Vanilla had shared the back seat with Tails in one of the vehicles on the ride back home yesterday because only she knew how to keep the kit warm and comfortable on the bumpy roads. During the trip, she had noticed that Tails was not sleeping very soundly because he kept coughing and sneezing from time to time. _It was probably inevitable,_ Vanilla thought with her motherly instinct, _Tails had been almost frozen solid and then buried in the snow for a while, which means that if he was ever going to catch a cold in his entire life, it was going to be this time._ "OK, honey, now I need you to go tell everyone about Tails calmly while I take care of him for a while, OK?" Vanilla asked Cream.

"OK, Mommy!" Cream replied, now relieved to know that Tails was in good hands.

"Chao, Chao!" came a singsong affirmative from Cheese as well. Then they both dashed off to spread the news to Ella and Amy in the nearby kitchen.

By the time Vanilla walked up the stairs to Tails' and Sonic's room, Ella and Amy were already informed and were telling Sonic, Chuck, and Mr. Tanakathe bad news. Vanilla opened the door to the twin bedroom to see Tails standing beside his bed with a look of shame and disgust on his face. A second later, the smell of fresh vomit reached the adult rabbit's sensitive nose from a pool of it that was all over Tails' bed and some that had stained the white fur on his chest a gross brown. Upon seeing Vanilla's face appear in the doorway, Tails began to tear up and tried to hide his face behind his twin tails and hands. He had clearly been caught unawares by his upset stomach and had never had enough time to get out of bed before his accident less than a minute ago. She quickly walked over to him and began cleaning him up with a handkerchief that she always carried around with her. "Don't feel bad, sweetie," condoled Vanilla as if the fox was her own son. "You couldn't have known that you would be sick so soon. Everybody has done this before when they were sick once. Ella will clean up this mess while we go to another bedroom."

As if she had been magically summoned, Ella immediately showed up in the doorway. "Oh my!" she remarked at the mess that Tails had unintentionally made. "This is going to take some major cleaning, and a lot of air freshener!" she said as she sniffed the repulsive odor.

"Sorry," Tails muttered as Vanilla finished cleaning the fox's chest of residual vomit.

"You have done nothing to be sorry about," Ella quickly amended. "If messes like this never happened, then I would be out of a job!" The joke seemed to cheer up the sickly kitsune. "Could you take him to Chris's room please, Mrs. Vanilla?" Ella asked Cream's mother, noticing how she was taking care of Tails as she would her daughter.

"Why Chris's room?" asked Tails, wiping away the last of his tears with his hands.

"Because Chris is at school right now and his room is very spacious," Ella answered as she already started pulling the soiled sheets off of Tails' bed. "Also, there is a TV in there, so it is perfect for a sick person to rest and be cared for."

"But what if I get sick again, Ella?" worried Tails. "Won't Chris be mad if I cough mess up his bed too?"

"Don't worry about that one bit," commanded Ella. "I will get you a clean bucket to use if you feel like you might get sick again, now get going so I can clean this mess before it stains!" She ushered him and Vanilla out the door before closing it behind her and turning on her oversized, super-deluxe, deep fabric cleaner. She actually smiled as she vacuumed up the horrid substance. She rarely got to use this machine often because it was a little too powerful for small messes, but now she finally got to use the big toys to really clean up.

* * *

_Ella was right,_ Tails thought to himself as he lay in Chris's bed, _Chris's room is much nicer than mine, and his bed is really comfortable, too!_ After the incident this morning, Tails was relieved that he had never really felt like he was going to be sick again. _I hope that I never throw up again. It tastes and smells nasty, and it's definitely not very fun._ He heard a knock on the door before it opened to reveal Sonic holding a food tray with a bowl of soup balanced on top.

"How ya feelin', bro?" Sonic asked Tails in a lighthearted tone, as he looked down at the fox tucked into bed with a whole armada of pillows stacked up behind his head. Tails looked like the archetype of a sick person. His face was all flushed red from his fever, a thermometer hung from his mouth, he constantly coughed and sneezed, and a pile of used tissues littered the bed sheets around him. He had never seen his little brother look so pathetic, and the fact that he still wore bandages from the X-Tornado's crash yesterday made Tails seem to look like he should be in a hospital somewhere instead of at home. As he set the soup tray in Tails' lap, the sick fox let out a loud sneeze, then removed an ice pack from his forehead, and finally sat up to eat. Amy had offered to take the soup up to Tails for him, but Sonic had refused her offer. Tails had never been sick before, even though he had been around people who were several times, and Sonic was determined to be there for him like a true big brother would.

"Thanks, Sonic," replied Tails a few minutes later as he finished the special chicken-noodle soup that Ella had assured Sonic could cure any disease. "Being sick is not fun. I can't do anything! Chuck says that he will fix up the X-Tornado on his own, and he won't… coughcough he won't let me help him at all! Plus, I always feel so crummy that I can't even get some decent rest, and, worst of all, COUGH there is nothing good on TV!!"

Sonic had never seen Tails so easily angered as his buddy flipped mindlessly through the hundreds of TV channels, looking for anything that might distract him from his idle misery. _So this is what Tails looks like when he's cooped up too long, _Sonic wondered. _He is almost as bad as me when I have no room to run around, if not worse! I wish that I knew some way to make him feel better._

There was a quick knock on the door as Vanilla came in to check on Tails. "Oh, I hope that I'm not interrupting anything," she said once she saw Sonic standing by Tails' bedside.

"Nope, I was just givin' my little bro some soup Ella had made to make him feel better," Sonic explained to the motherly rabbit as he stepped aside so that she could check Tails' temperature.

Vanilla reinserted the thermometer into Tails' mouth and felt the fox's head to see if his fever had broken. Vanilla had experience with Cream's past illnesses and knew that normally a child's fever would disappear in the early afternoon, which it was now. However, despite the ice pack that Tails had rested on his head all morning, her hand immediately felt what the thermometer confirmed seconds later; Tails' fever had not diminished at all. She knew that if Tails kept running on such a high fever for much longer, he could be in serious danger.

"Well, how's it look, Mrs. Vanilla?" Sonic asked after seeing the worried expression on her face. He knew that she was the expert in the house on caring for children, and anything about Tails that worried her must be serious.

"Tails is still burning up," Vanilla answered Sonic's question as she tucked the kit back into bed. "His fever should have gone down by now, but it hasn't. We need to get Tails some medicine soon, or he may get worse." Despite the alarming news, Vanilla had said her last sentence very calmly as she turned to look Sonic in the eyes.

"There is a drug store in downtown Station Square that sells medicine that may help the young Master Tails," Mr. Tanakasuddenly intruded through the doorway. "Forgive me; I was passing by in the hall when I overheard your conversation."

"Do you know what kind of medicine Tails needs, Mr. Tanaka?" asked Sonic, still standing at Tails' bedside.

"Medicine?" a weak voice called from the bed. Throughout this whole conversation so far, Tails had only uttered slight moans and coughs. He simply listened in on what everyone was saying and was alarmed by the fact that his disease was now so bad that he would need to take nasty medicines.

"Judging by his symptoms, I would suggest that Master Tails needs a drug that reduces fever and suppresses his coughing. Also, the drug needs to be prescription strength at least to have any effect on such a high fever." Mr. Tanaka suggested as he motioned towards Tails with his head. "But, you will need a doctor's prescription to get a drug that strong."

"But, I don't know of any doctors around here that can treat Mobians!" Sonic responded in a slight panic. His little brother needed medicine right away, but nobody knew the right kind to give him.

"Don't worry about that detail, Sonic," Chuck said as he walked into the room. "I have a colleague of mine that can get Tails any prescription medicine that we need." After learning about Tails' illness that morning, Chuck had completely abandoned the restoration work on the X-Tornado and had started researching Tails' illness to find a cure. He had even taken a few samples before Ella had finished cleaning Tails' mess earlier that morning. However, he knew that he was no doctor, and he had called up a friend that he knew who was a prominent epidemiologist and explained the situation. His friend had shown little interest in this case at first because it was clearly a common cold, but the fact that Tails' fever was so high and that there had never been any reported cases of sick Mobiansbefore now had sparked his interest. He had told Chuck to send him samples and to keep him posted on Tails' progress. In return, he gaveChuck the authority to purchase any drugs that he felt was necessary to help the poor fox. "Just show this letter to the person behind the counter, and they should give you the right medicine to fight off Tails' fever," Chuck finished as he handed a slip of fax paper to the impatient Sonic.

"Gotcha'! Thanks, Chuck!" Sonic said as he snatched the piece of paper from Chuck's hand. "I'll be back in a flash, Tails!" Sonic instantly dashed out the open sliding glass door onto the veranda outside Chris's room and jumped effortlessly to the ground before speeding away.

* * *

_When will Sonic be back with that medicine?_ Tails thought after everyone had left the room to let him rest. _I'm sick and tired of feeling so sick and tired!_ Being unable to rest because of his sweltering head and almost constant coughing, Tails had once again turned the TV back on. There was still nothing interesting to watch, and Tails could feel his last ounce of patience leaving him as his rarely seen anger began to permeate his mind. To call Tails grumpy right now would have been a marginal understatement. _I am going to go crazy if I can't get out of bed soon! _Tails mentally screamed to himself. He vented his anguish in a loud, drawn out moan that alerted Vanilla, who was talking to Cream just outside his door, to return and see what was the matter.

"We now bring you an urgent news update from downtown Station Square," the TV anchorman suddenly burst in from the channel that Tails had unintentionally stopped at. "Eggmanis currently launching another attack on the city. Authorities say that they are organizing a resistance, but the robot currently continues to wreak the downtown area." Pictures of a five story robotic arachnid crushing houses and smashing cars played out on the screen as he spoke. "Residents are instructed to leave the downtown area immediately until the threat is over. We also have not received any confirmed accounts of Sonic the hedgehog assisting the authorities as of yet," the anchorman concluded before returning the channel to its regularly scheduled soap opera.

_Oh, he'll be there alright! _Tails mentally projected at the TV. He knew that Sonic wouldn't miss his chance to defeat another one of Eggman's robots, especially if it was tearing up the city. Tails started to leap out of bed and put his matching trademark red and white striped shoes on. _Eggman's last robot almost killed Sonic when he tried to fight it alone. I need to go help him!_

Vanilla turned away from the TV at the sound of Tails leaving his bed. She knew what Tails had to be thinking, but under his current condition she wondered if Tails could even walk out the door, let alone help Sonic fight Eggman. Tails began to wobbly walk towards the hallway door, clutching his forehead to stop his spinning vision. Immediately, Vanilla intersected him and grabbed the little fox like a large doll.

"Let me go! I have to help Sonic!" Tails yelled as he kicked his feet against air while Vanilla picked him up off the ground and sat him back on Chris's bed.

"Sonic will be fine without you this time, honey. Besides, do you really think that you could help him at all if you can't even walk straight?" Vanilla chided the over-eager Tails.

Tails barely managed to keep his anger in check, due mostly to who he was talking to at the moment, and sighed as he removed his shoes and crawled back into bed. _She's right. If I tried to help Sonic now, I would only make things worse. _He tried to stop his spinning head as another coughing fit erupted from his chest. _It's not fair! Sonic is out fighting Eggman while I am still stuck here in bed! I hate being_ cough _sick! _Tails started feeling tired from the small effort of walking across the room, so he lay back down on his pillows with another loud moan as Vanilla replaced the ice pack on his forehead. He left the TV on so that they could hear how the inevitable fight between Sonic and Eggman went, but he soon found himself slipping back into a fitful sleep that offered little rest to the exhausted fox.

* * *

_My, my, my! That little fox cub certainly seems to be pretty bad off, _mused a stealthily hidden figure hanging upside-down from below the veranda. _I had better stay away from here or else I might catch an unsightly disease as well. I wonder if this information will be useful to someone…_ She quickly scanned the area before gliding out of her hiding place and following Sonic's trail into Station Square. _At least this might be more amusing, _she thought, anticipating the showdown between Eggman and Sonic is if it was a normal sporting event.


	6. Chapter 6: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Lethal Mutation

It's time for another awesome chapter! But, first off, major huge thanks to my new reviewers, Rae Logan and cari! (video of Chinese New Year celebration w/ dragons, fireworks, and stuff) Also, many repeated thanks to my other loyal reviewers: Nicend, Asher Tye, Zachary W, and Drandu! I am kinda sad that my forum hasn't had any responses yet, but I think it might pick up once a few more chapters get posted. But seriously folks, at the time I posted this chapter, my last chapter had a total of 36 visitors. Now 6 reviews out of 36 readers equals about... (let me get my calculator. Oh, yes, here it is.) 15 percent of you have read and reviewed my story! Not to sound mean or anything, but maybe I should start only posting 15 percent of my chapters and see how you like it! I want to be overrun with reviews! Come on, I dare you to make me have to pray that you will stop!

Oh, well. Anyways, this chapter comes right after the last one and has a little bit of everything: cuteness, action, worry, and lots of humor! The mystery character from last chapter is finally revealed as well. (As if someone didn't already know who it was anyways.) I would tell you to read and enjoy, but I already know that you will so it makes no sense to repeat myself. Enjoy! (Oh, drat! I said it anyway!)

Chapter 6: Just What the Doctor Ordered

Pedestrians and vehicles alike had to beware as a solid blue wind swept through downtown Station Square in the early afternoon...

Sonic dashed through the downtown area at almost top speed. He knew that every second that it took for him to get Tails' medicine would feel like one more hour of agony for his little bro. Quickly, he located the drugstore at a corner of two busy streets and rushed towards the automatic doors that served as the front entrance. Unfortunately, Sonic, in his haste, had forgotten that he was much faster than those doors were and ended up splattered against the glass like a bug on a windshield. As he pulled himself off the now thoroughly smudged surface, the doors finally opened to let him in.

"No need to be in such a hurry, young man," an elderly lady addressed Sonic from behind a desk at the front of the store.

"Sorry, but I've got a very sick friend at home that needs some medicine right away!" Sonic replied to the elderly storekeeper.

"I understand; you must be really close friends to care about him so much," the elderly lady remarked as she adjusted her bifocals to see who she was talking to.

"You could say that," Sonic shot back, annoyed at all the small talk. He placed the piece of paper that Chuck had given him with the prescription on it on the desk in front of her.

"Oh, well let's see what I need to get for you, Sonic the hedgehog," the old woman said as she realized who Sonic was and read the prescription he had given her. "Darned if these doctors don't know how to write legibly these days," she grumbled as she squinted at the letters on the parchment in front of her. After a few minutes, she walked to the back of the store and came back with a brown jar full of a pale, pasty liquid. "My, my, your friend must be really sick! This is the strongest anti-cold medicine that I have, and it is also the worst tasting!" She placed the jar into a white prescription labeled sack and handed it to Sonic. "Now don't worry about paying me, young man. Just make sure that your friend gets better."

"Thanks, lady!" Sonic kindly spoke as he stopped tapping his foot rapidly in impatience and grabbed the bag to make his exit. On his way out, Sonic barely remembered to let the automatic doors open before dashing away. Unfortunately, once he got back out on the street, he found a very unwelcome sight turning the corner just a block away. A gigantic metal spider with eight long legs was destroying the cityscape. As Sonic stared at the five-story artificial arachnid, he noticed the egg shaped emblem of Robotnik's head on its central body. _Not him again! I don't have time for this right now! _Still, he rocketed down the street to face the oversized robotic bug.

* * *

_Here he comes at last!_he said while one of his surrounding viewscreens showed a picture of the blue hedgehog running towards his newest creation. _If he thought that the Freeze-a-tron 5,000 was hard to defeat, just wait until he gets a load of this, my ultimate creation to date, the Egg Tarantula!_"Whooo ho ho ho ho ho!" Eggman let out another annoying laugh. "My Egg Tarantula is indestructible! I have plated the entire body with the strongest metal alloy known to man, so even Sonic can't spin dash his way through this one! And my electrical, spider web net cannon will be sure to stop Sonic in his tracks!"

"Doctor, who are you talking to?" Decoe the slender, tall, yellow robot on Eggman's right asked.

"I think that he is talking to himself," Bocoe the plump, short, silver robot on his left answered.

"Arrggg! ENOUGH!!" yelled the easily angered Eggman. "It is because of you two dunce bots that my chair isn't fixed yet so that I could be there personally!" The blast from the destruction of his robo-tank yesterday had caused his floating chair to malfunction and need lengthy repairs, so Eggman had been forced to view the fight and control his Egg Tarantula from his secret, undersea lab instead.

"We are sorry, Doctor!" both robots immediately apologized while bowing slightly towards Dr. Robotnik in an attempt to avoid his wrath by appeasing him. As it almost always did, the act caused the not-so-good doctor to dismiss their penalty entirely.

"Good, now watch as I finally rid the world of this pesky hedgehog," Eggman grinned widely as he spoke.

"Psssstt! Do you really think that he has a chance?" Bocoe asked Decoe in a whisper behind Eggman's back.

"The Egg Tarantula is his best idea yet, but no, I would not bet on it," Decoe replied in a whisper meant only for Bocoe to hear.

"Grrrrrrr! **I can hear every word you bozos are saying!!**" Eggman shouted out at the insolent duo of robots. Decoe and Bocoe both froze in fear as an imaginary, large, cartoonish drop of sweat ran down each of their heads. "Now where was I? Ah yes, I was about to destroy Sonic once and for all!" He let out an evil chuckle through his toothy grin as he pressed the button to fire the Egg Tarantula's main weapon.

* * *

Sonic saw the giant metal spider turn around and shoot an electrified string out of its bottom as he approached. He dodged it easily by leaping into the air and kicking himself off of the sides of nearby buildings as the mechanical menace attempted to track his course. _Normally, this would be kind of fun, _Sonic thought to himself, _but today I can't afford to waste time with this giant spider-bot. Tails needs this medicine and fast! But I still gotta save the city somehow!_ Then the blue blur had an inspiration. _That web it's shooting out looks kind of strong, and it's coming out as a large strand. Hmmm… Got it!_ Sonic immediately started doing laps around the Egg Tarantula's legs, followed closely by its never ending stream of electrified webbing. "Time to wrestle up them 20 foot spiders!" Sonic shouted in his best imitation of a western cowboy accent.

As he circled the artificial arachnid, he made ever smaller and smaller loops, tying the gigantic spider's legs in its own net. Suddenly, he jumped onto an overpass and landed atop a parked tractor trailer. The Egg Tarantula's webbing followed, hitting the vehicle's trailer and getting stuck to it. Noticing this, Sonic quickly shouted to the driver of the truck, "Hey, bub! I need you to move it, quick!" As the bewildered truck driver sped off, the attached webbing pulled the rest of the electric strand that was tied around the legs of the giant metal spider taut. This caused the Egg Tarantula's legs to bend together as it toppled forward to the pavement, knocking off chunks of its armor as it hit. Sonic used this opportunity to finish off the downed robot with a spin dash straight through the now exposed innards of the mechanical spider. He didn't even wait to see the explosion that customarily accompanied his destruction of one of Eggman's creations. Briefly, he stopped to check that the jar of medicine for Tails was unbroken before speeding back towards the Thorndike's mansion as fast as he could. _I hope I haven't kept you waitin' too long, little bro._

* * *

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" shouted Eggman as he watched the destruction of his precious creation via an overhead spy cam linked to his monitors. "How could he destroy the best robot that I haveever designed without even waiting to see its other impressive firepower!?" The entire battle had only taken a couple of minutes, and the Egg Tarantula had only gotten to use a fraction of its true weaponry. Eggman yanked at his bushy brown moustache infuriated, so hard that he felt pain. "It almost looked as if he wasn't enjoying the fight, or maybe he had something better to do?!" Eggman loudly speculated at the unusual impatience of the blue hedgehog which always enjoyed playing with his foes before finishing them off.

"That might be true, Doctor. Look!" Decoe pointed at a screen that showed Sonic taking a large brown jar out of a white bag and replacing it before speeding off.

"What is that?" Bocoe asked as they all saw the strange object that Sonic had obviously thought was incredibly valuable.

"Why, it looks like a jar full of medicine!" Dr. Robotnik observed upon closer inspection of the freeze frame of the hedgehog and his strange cargo.

"I don't get it. Sonic didn't look sick to me," Bocoe said in a puzzled tone.

"Perhaps he is not the one who is sick," Decoe corrected his partner.

"Well, clearly someone that Sonic cares a lot about is very ill, but who is it?" Bocoe logically pieced together.

"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!" The sudden laughter from their boss caused the two robots to turn around to see what was so funny. Eggman smiled at the dumbfounded looks on their faces and decided to inform them of the one detail that they had missed. "I guess that when I blasted that fox out of the sky yesterday, I must have almost frozen him solid! The poor thing probably has the world's worst cold in history!" He continued laughing as his robotic assistants finally put two and two together.

"You mean that Tailsis the one Sonic got that medicine for, Doctor?" Bocoe quickly guessed in a voice of slight disbelief.

"Of course! Who else could Sonic care so much about that he would forgo a battle with my new robotic creation just to deliver a care package?" Eggman congratulated his dense mechanical helpers by giving them the rest of the riddle that he had already solved. "And, why wasn't the X-Tornado there to help Sonic this time, too, Hmmm?"

"But why would the fact that Tails is sick make you happy, Doctor Eggman?" Decoe inquisitively added, noting his boss's unusual behavior right after a huge loss of another state-of-the-art robot.

Eggman hesitated a second before responding, "Because I think that it gives me a good idea! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho hooo!" His annoying laughter filled the room even as he turned to leave.

* * *

_What a day this has been!_ Ella reminded herself. _I've had so much cleaning and cooking to do that I can barely keep up!_ She was just walking out of Chris's bedroom with a bottle of carpet shampoo and a half full bucket of another liquid. Suddenly, she met Chris as he came up the hallway with his friends, Danny and Francis.

"Hi, Ella! What were you doing in my room just now?" Chris asked.

"Oh, I was just cleaning the carpet for you, Chris," Ella dodged the question by giving only a partial answer.

"Why? What was wrong with it?" Chris pressed on, sensing that Ella hadn't told him everything.

"Oh nothing, Chris, just routine cleaning!" Ella said while she attempted to hide the bucket behind her back.

A blue streak flew up the stairs and stopped beside Ella. "I've got the medicine, Ella. How's he doin'?" Sonic asked worriedly as he pointed to a white bag in his other hand.

"Wait a minute! How is who doing? And what medicine?" asked Chris's darker-skinned friend Danny, who knew all about Sonic and his friends and happened to be good friends with Tails.

"And what is in that pail behind your back, Ella?" interrogated Chris's female friend with a heavily freckled face, Francis.

"Oh my, well I guess that I have been found out," sighed the defeated Ella. "Chris, Tails woke up sick this morning and accidentally ruined his bed. The poor thing has felt terrible all day long, and I had him put in your room to try and make him feel better, but I am afraid that just a minute ago he got sick again on your carpet. Tails got most of it in this bucket, but it happened so fast that, at first, he missed."

"Poor Tails!" Chris immediately replied, not even the slightest bit upset that he had taken over his room and accidentally made a mess of it. "Can we see him?"

"Sure, why not? He will probably be relieved to know that you are not angry at him, Chris," Ella said as she stepped away from the door to let them enter. Sonic also followed them in carrying the medicine in both hands.

"Are you OK, Tails?" Chris asked as he walked up to his bed, being careful to avoid a spot on the carpet next to it that was noticeably wet. The sickly fox was sitting on the side of the bed with his face downcast as Vanilla the rabbit was wiping his lips with a wet washcloth to clean off the gross residue from his latest stomach eruption. Upon hearing Chris's voice, Tails immediately looked up with big, quivering blue eyes at the person he thought would be very mad at him. "Don't worry, Tails. I'm not mad at you. I know it was an accident." Chris comforted the teary-eyed fox.

"Thanks, Chris," Tails weakly muttered between coughs. Even though Sonic had only been gone for a few minutes, Tails had clearly gotten much worse after he left. His fever was now dangerously high, and he sometimes had fits of coughing that lasted so long that he couldn't breathe. The fox's pale face and eyes told everyone in the room that he was beyond just feeling miserable and was now truly in agony. Tails eyes lighted up a little as he saw the bag that Sonic now carried. "Is that my medicine, Sonic?" Tails asked in a mixture of relief and dread.

"Yea, buddy, but I think that it would be better if Mrs. Vanilla gave it to ya." Sonic said with a shrug, "I'm not sure how much to use, and too much medicine can be worse than none." He pulled the brown jar full of the white liquid out of its bag and handed it to Vanilla.

Vanilla read the label on the medicine to see how much Tails needed to take and how many times a day that he should take it. "Sonic, could you please get a teaspoon measuring cup from Ella for me?" she asked him in a cheerful tone. He immediately dashed away without even saying the understood "yes."

"What can we do to help, Mrs. Vanilla?" asked Chris, implying that he and his friends all wanted to assist the ailing Tails.

"I know what you could do for me," Tails said in a raspy voice. "You could go and cough play with Cream and Cheese for a while."

Chris and his friends were taken aback at the odd request, and wondered why Tails would feel better if they went out and played with the young bunny and her chao friend. "Why do you need us to do that, Tails?" Chris asked in hopes of understanding the strange and unusual request.

"Well, this morning, Cream and cough Cheese woke me up late saying that they were really bored and wanted cough to play with me," Tails explained. "Cream was the one who told everyone that I was sick, but COUGH now she has no one to play with her."

Vanilla smiled at the unselfish fox's request and explanation. She knew that very few people in Tails' position would be able to think of anyone but themselves. Vanilla had known that Tails was a very pure-hearted person, but she had not been around him long enough yet to understand the full extent of his compassion.

"Sure thing, Tails!" Chris accepted Tails' unorthodox mission. He and his friends left the room to find Cream and Cheese, having been almost ordered to go have fun by the one person in the house who was having none. Seconds later, Sonic reentered with a small medicine cup and a glass of water. Vanilla took the cup from Sonic and poured a generous amount of the syrupy, white medicine into it.

"Time to take your medicine, sweetie," Cream's mother told the sick fox as she handed him the medicine in the cup. "Just drink it all really fast, honey."

Tails stared into the cup he now held in his hands. The medicine didn't look very tasty. _As a matter of fact, _Tails thought,_ it looks like it might taste really nasty. It smells funny, too. _"Do I have to take it? cough" whined the now unsure fox as he sat there staring at his only hope for feeling better.

"If you don't take it, you'll never get better, little bro!" Sonic restated what Tails had just been thinking. "Don't worry, Ella gave me this glass of water for you to drink after you take your medicine to wash away the taste."

"All right, if you say so, Sonic," Tails cringed before taking a sip from the medicine cup. Immediately, Tails tried to spit it back out. "This stuff tastes nastier than the stuff that comes out of my stomach!" he shouted.

"The drug store lady told me that it was some nasty stuff," Sonic said bent over with his hands on his knees as he laughed, "but, you still gotta drink it, Tails, if you ever want to feel better and get out of this bed."

Tails groaned as he contemplated what was the worst torture, the disease or the cure? Finally, he tilted his head way back and downed the putrid medicine in one big gulp. It tasted so nasty that his whole body shuddered at the still lingering taste of the diabolical medicine. Quickly, he grabbed the glass of water from Sonic's hands and proceeded to gulp it down as well.

Vanilla had chuckled as well at Tails' reaction to his first taste of medicine. She remembered having to almost physically restrain Cream one time when she had refused to take her medicine because of the horrible taste. Now, she reached out and grabbed the glass of water from the drinking fox. "If you drink too fast, you will get sick again, honey," Vanilla explained to Tails as he looked at her, wondering why she had stolen his comforting drink.

_She may be right,_Tails assessed as his world started spinning again from his sudden motions earlier. "Ooohhhh, I really don't feel so good!" He leaned over Chris's bed frame to make sure that he wouldn't miss the bucket this time. He felt Vanilla gently rubbing his back in a motion that somehow soothed his aching belly and eventually convinced Tails that it had been a false alarm. Relieved, he leaned back over into bed and turned to give Vanilla a look of extreme gratitude. _That was a close one,_ the fox thought to himself. _I wonder how long the medicine will take to start working?_

"Nice save, Mrs. Vanilla!" Sonic thanked Cream's mother for miraculously calming down his brother's stomach just in time. "If he had thrown up, we would have had to make him take his medicine again!" Sonic joked at the poor fox's expense.

Tails just groaned as he lay back into bed and started coughing and sneezing some more. _Boy, am I glad that I didn't throw up, then! I don't think that I could stand having to take that medicine again!_ He wrapped both of his tails loosely over his chest like a furry blanket while he covered his mouth for another sneeze.

"That's right, honey. You should get some more rest while the medicine does its job," Vanilla said to him as she caught the sleepy-eyed stare of Tails' big blue irises. She quietly tucked him into bed, turned out the lights, and ushered Sonic out of the room.

Once outside Chris's bedroom, Sonic turned to Vanilla with a look of concern in his eyes that very few people had ever seen. "I've never seen my little bro look so bad before. I mean, as a little kit he would sometimes get banged up a bit, and he has been seriously hurt by Eggman's robots before, but nothing like this! He always tries to act stronger around me, but now he doesn't even care if he looks or sounds pathetic," Sonic confided in the hopefully understanding mother rabbit. "I just hope that he's not givin' up on me."

"I know that it must hurt you to see him like this, sweetie," Vanilla risked talking down to the prideful hedgehog, "But try to think about what he is going through right now. His fever is the highest one I have ever seen, and it is a wonder that he can even talk or think at all right now. He just doesn't have the strength or the will to act tough right now."

"I hope you're right, Mrs. Vanilla," Sonic replied pessimistically, "'Cause Tails takes after me too much sometimes. He keeps all of his problems and secrets to himself because he thinks that people might call him a wimp if he ever shows how weak he really is. But, I know some things about him that he hides from everyone else. Like that way he curls his tails around his body as he sleeps, he is so afraid of being called cute or a baby that he never sleeps that way unless I'm the only one around. Still, he has secrets that he won't tell even me, and all I know is that they are painful ones. He never shows it, but that poor kit went through something horrible before I met him, and I don't know how he even manages to keep on goin'."

"He wants to keep on going because of you, Sonic," Vanilla answered the hedgehog's heartfelt question. "He wants to be as strong and as great as you because you are his older brother. I could always tell that you two share a strong bond together, but I was never going to say anything about it until one of you did first."

"You must be a wonderful mother, Mrs. Vanilla!" Sonic remarked in shock at the only person besides him who had ever won Tails' complete trust. "Thanks for helpin' my little bro so much."

"It's not a problem, dear," Vanilla assured Sonic, "I would gladly do the same for anyone." She meant her last statement to have a double meaning of her caring for Tails and her listening to Sonic's concerns. She never saw if the hedgehog got her meaning before he dashed away down the hallway.

* * *

Downstairs, every resident of the Thorndike's house, minus the bedridden Tails, had gathered in the living room to recap the day's activities and solve the minor problems that arose from having one of their own seriously ill. It had already been decided that Chris would forfeit his room to Tails until he got better, and, instead, Chris would sleep in his father's room while he was away this week on a conference meeting. Chuck reported no progress so far in finding a cure for Tails' disease, but he wasn't surprised. Nobody had ever found the cure for the common cold yet, and Tails' case seemed much more complicated than normal. Vanilla, Amy, and Ella were given shifts to watch the fox cub during the day. Sonic, Mr. Tanaka, Cream, and Cheese were all assigned to simply help whenever they could, if needed. After a quick supper, everyone went to their beds for a good night's rest before starting again tomorrow.

* * *

As she tiptoed up the stairs in the now darkened house, the stealthy figure quietly made her way to Chris's room where Tails was sleeping. She opened the door to see Ella fast asleep in a lounge chair near the foot of Tails' commandeered bed. Ella seemed to be holding onto the handle of a carpet-cleaning vacuum as she rocked slowly back and forth. The shadowy figure started to close the door and walk back downstairs when a weak voice called out to her from the bed.

"Mrs. Vanilla?" Tails spoke softly, trying to identify the shadow in the doorway to his new room.

"Yes, dear?" Vanilla whispered back as she reopened the door and approached the fox's bed.

"What time is it?" Tails asked her, wondering why everything was so quiet now and the house was so dark.

"It's almost midnight, sweetie," Vanilla replied. "You slept all evening after you took your medicine."

"Oh," Tails said in return. "I think I feel a little better now." As if to emphasize that his sickness refused to go away, he began coughing rather loudly.

"What's going on?!" Ella almost shouted as she instantaneously woke up from her dreams of cleaning with a super-ultra power scrubber at the sound of Tails' coughing. "Oh, hello, Mrs. Vanilla! What are you doing here?" she wondered out loud. Tonight was supposed to be her shift with the sick fox because Vanilla had cared for him all day.

"Sorry to intrude, Miss Ella," Vanilla replied. She hadn't meant to wake up the sleeping maid. "It's just, well, no mother can sleep with a sick child in the house, even if it's not her own." Vanilla bent over the bed and touched Tails' forehead to see if his fever had subsided. To her relief, his forehead felt slightly cooler than earlier, which meant that his fever was at least not dangerously high anymore. "Do you mind if I stay here with him, Ella? Just call it a motherly instinct," Vanilla asked the drowsy maid. After caring for Tails all day and her little chat with Sonic, Vanilla now saw the fox as her own son and couldn't bear to be apart from him when he needed her.

"I guess so, Mrs. Vanilla," Ella surrendered. "I will just take some of your shift tomorrow afternoon, instead."

"Thank you," Vanilla spoke in a relieved voice as Ella gathered up her things and left the room. Then, she turned back to the sick fox who was staring at her with his big blue eyes. "Just try to go back to sleep, honey. I'll be right here if you need anything." As Tails closed his eyes and shifted back into his favorite sleeping position, Vanilla stroked his furry head gently. She was almost surprised as the little kit started making noises that sounded like soft purring in his sleep.

* * *

The rendezvous was in a deserted corner of Station Square's central park. She was hidden in a tree as she waited for her partner to show up. _Eggman sure made a mess of this place, today,_ thought the nocturnal spy. _Sonic sure acted strange when he defeated him, too. Maybe that had something to do with his two-tailed buddy's cold…?_ A tall, fit, female character appeared below her tree wearing all black, Special Forces' fatigues. _Finally!_ she thought, _I almost thought that she wouldn't show!_ She stealthily dropped out of the tree behind the mysterious woman.

Sensing the movement behind her, the other figure quickly turned around and pointed a large caliber pistol at the female bat's head. "Oh, it's you, Rouge," Topaz said as she identified her surprise caller.

"Yeah, it's me! Now put that dirty thing away and tell me why I'm here!" Rouge the bat spoke out of agitation at being the target of her only real friend's handgun.

"I was sent here to give you your next assignment," Topaz said as she quickly holstered her weapon. "We need you to sneak into Eggman's secret undersea base and find out what he is planning to do next. After today's attack, the President is worried that he might return soon to finish the job."

"Fine, but do I have to swim there? Water tends to smear my makeup," Rouge vainly acknowledged her orders.

Topaz knew how Rouge loved to make annoying remarks, and she simply ignored her and kept on talking, "You will be taken in by a military stealth submarine and dropped near the base. Then, it is up to you to find a way inside the main doors using some codes that we will supply. If you can remain undetected, search about to find out what Dr. Eggman is doing and what his future plans are."

"And what if I am caught?" Rouge asked in a voice that suggested amusement at the answer rather than genuine concern for the problem.

"You're better than that, right Rouge?" Topaz mocked her right back. "Actually, your extraction time will all be up to you. Learn as much as you can, then radio it in if possible. Use this when you are ready for a pickup. Hit this button and a sub will be waiting for you at your initial deployment location within an hour." She handed the charming bat a handheld locating device disguised as a tube of lipstick. "It's your favorite color," Topaz mentioned towards the dual functionality of the device.

"Thanks!" Rouge said as she snatched the high-tech lipstick in her hand. "Oh, by the way, I have a little something for you as well, Topaz." Rouge pulled out a velvet box that had the insignia of a jewelry store marked on it. She handed it to her friend and watched her reaction as she opened it.

"This is wonderful, Rouge!" Topaz exclaimed as a gorgeous necklace set with actual topaz gems sparkled in the dim light of a far off street lamp.

"Hey, just repaying the favor for the rocks that you got me before chaos control sent the Mystic Ruins here," Rouge was quick to explain. Not wanting to sound like she cared, Rouge had still given Topaz the first concrete confession of their undeniable friendship. "Besides, at the price I found it for, it was practically a steal!" Rouge chuckled as she flew away, leaving a bewildered Topaz to debate whether the necklace she now held was stolen or not.


	7. Chapter 7: Get Well Never

Lethal Mutation

(sniff) My wonderful reviewers... (sniff) You made me so happy with your compliments and words of encouragement after last chapter! I really am extremely excited every time I see another review to my story that mentions something you thought was particularly interesting or humorous! My extreme thanks go out to my loyal reviewers so far (in no particular order): Drandu, Zachary W, Asher Tye, Nicend, cari, and Rae Logan. Also, happy new reviewer celebration for Sara! (video of people running and screaming from a giant meteor about to hit Earth) Oooops! Sorry, wrong video! (I have got to get that thing fixed...) By the way, Asher Tye gets major bonus points for pointing out that Egghead really does have a red 'stache instead of my incorrectly written brown in last chapter. (Nice catch! You can redeem those bonus points later for absolutely nothing, as that's all I have to give you anyway!)

A more technical note that I just noticed from last chapter, whenever I try to save these documents before I submit them as chapters, all my asterisks are omitted for some reason. I meant to separate Tails' coughs in his dialogue with these, but I've been forced to use parenthesis instead. Also, some of my words sometimes run together as well for no reason. I try to fix all these mistakes before I post, but I really don't understand why it's happening in the first place! Anyone that has more experience with posting on this site should contact me with a few pointers, so that it doesn't take me an hour to fix each chapter before I post them. Thanks!

Moving on now, last chapter showed our poor foxy hero feeling rather miserable, and Eggman coming up with another one of those schemes of his. This chapter continues from the day after the last one as a few of those questions you have had will finally get answered, only to be replaced by twice as many more! (evil laugh) Read on, my loyal followers and get ready for quite a showdown in the near future!

Chapter 7: Get Well Never

On an ordinary Tuesday noon, the Thorndike Mansion's usually busy dining room is oddly empty. Sounds are heard from a room upstairs where a congregation of sorts has convened...

"Thanks, everyone!" Tails said to the assembled household. Cream had come up with an idea to cheer Tails up this morning and had made everyone give him a "get well" card before lunch today. Now, every single resident of the Thorndike's house, minus Chris who was currently at school, was gathered in Chris's room to present Tails with their cards. Even Mr. Tanaka, Ella, and Chuck had made a "get well" card for him. Most of the cards had been hand drawn in a rather crude fashion, but they were still very sweet with the words "Get Well Soon" drawn on them with all sorts of pictures to decorate the remaining space. Some of them looked rather professional, such as Chuck's card which had been done using a software program and a printer instead of crayons. Cream's card was full of hearts and flowers, as was Amy's and even Vanilla's. Ella's card had soap bubbles in the background and matching lettering. Mr. Tanakahad simply written "Please Get Well Soon, Master Tails" on an otherwise blank sheet of paper. Sonic had forgotten to make a card entirely, which hadn't bothered Tails at all but had made Amy rather angry at the seemingly insensitive hedgehog.

"Everyone but Sonic!" Amy blurted out loudly as she shot a stare towards the blue hedgehog that could have cut through diamonds.

"I told ya, Amy; I can't draw! Besides, I know that Tails doesn't mind, right bro?" Sonic defended himself by giving his fate to his little brother to decide.

"Sure, it's OK, Sonic," Tails backed up his best buddy. He almost laughed at the idea of what a hand drawn card from Sonic would look like. _It would probably be even less fancy than Cream's stick figures!_ Tails cracked his first smile in days. _I have felt a lot better so far today. Maybe I'm almost cured!_ A single loud sneeze escaped from his mouth, forcing Tails to think twice about considering himself healthy just yet. _At least my head has healed from the X-Tornado's crash two days ago._ Cream had assisted her mother in removing the bandages from Tails' head this morning, and they had both been surprised to see only a few scars and some small bruises had remained from his crash into the mountain. _Now I just need to get better so I can leave this stupid bed!_ Tails thought, still bored out of his mind because he had to stay in bed all day long.

"Ha ha ha ha! There you all are!" came a high pitched voice from the open door to the outside veranda as a small black robot flew into the room carrying a big green duffle bag. "I'm glad that you are all here because that saves me the trouble of looking for ya!" exclaimed Eggman's annoying message carrier, Bokoon. "I've got a message from Eggman for Tails and the rest of you losers, so listen up!" The diminutive robot pulled out a small yellow TV from his bag and set it down on the foot of the bed that Tails was lying in before turning it on. A picture of Dr. Eggman appeared on the screen as the message began playing.

"Hellooooooo everyone!" Eggman said annoyingly as the video recording began. "And how are you feeling today, Tails, my fine furry friend?"

"How did he know about Tails?" asked Amy with a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"Hey, pay attention!" Bokoon shouted to the loudmouthed pink hedgehog. Amy's face swelled as she held her breath to control her anger.

"I suspect that you are wondering how I knew about you being under the weather, but, first, Bokoon has a little "get well" present from me to you," Eggman's voice continued. Immediately, Bokoon remembered his delivery and reached into his bag and pulled out a card that had Eggman's grinning face on the front with one hand making a peace symbol towards the sky and a small heart in between the two graphics. He handed it to Tails in a way that showed the piece of paper to be perfectly harmless.

Tails opened the card carefully and read the short message inside, "Get Well Soon… Or Else?!" Tails didn't know if the card was meant as a threat or as a misguided attempt at a true "get well" card from Eggman.

"Don't you like it, Tails? I made it myself, just like your disease!" Eggman's last statement shocked everyone in the room. "That's right, you little foxy freak! You don't have any normal cold; it is a special disease that I created myself, the Egg Virus! Whooo ho ho ho ho!"

"Oh yeah, Egghead, what's your proof?" Sonic shouted angrily at the TV, forgetting that it was only a recording.

"Want me to prove it, Eh?" Eggman's message answered Sonic's question as if he had been there personally to hear it. "You may think that Tails' cold is from being frozen solid inside the X-Tornado a couple days ago, but that's not the whole story, now, is it Tails?" Eggman zoomed out the camera as he pointed straight at the screen and Tails.

"What does he mean, Master Tails?" Mr. Tanaka asked the fox who had suddenly been placed on the spot.

"I'm not sure," Tails responded in a puzzled tone. "I never did anything to catch a virus, (cough) other than being frozen in the X-Tornado."

"Haven't figured it out yet, Tails? Then, let me explain," the TV continued on while Eggman appeared in front of a white marker board covered with crude drawings. "I had just happened to be vacationing in the same resort when I noticed that your whole gang was staying there for the weekend, too. I decided to watch your pathetic band all weekend long until the night you had a party in the private ballroom." The picture of Eggman pointed at the horrible drawing of stick figures dancing. "I then had the idea to put my wonderful Egg Virus to the test by secretly planting it in a drink meant for Sonic," his hand moved to show an arrow pointing to the picture of a vial being poured into a disposable cup. "However, that impetuous hedgehog had left the party already, and Tails ended up drinking the poisoned beverage, instead! So, since I created the virus and I saw Tails drink it, I knew it would only take a matter of days to rear its ugly little head!" Eggman concluded while pointing at a very poorly drawn picture of Tails with large "X"s instead of eyes.

"Man, Eggman draws worse than me!" Sonic broke in during a pause in the message following Eggman's last sentence. "Still, does anyone think that he's tellin' the truth?" the hedgehog turned to the others in the room for opinions.

"Well, it would explain how he knew that Tails was sick," Chuck concluded.

"And how he showed up right when Tails found the chaos emerald," Cream added. "Eggman was watching us the whole time we were there!"

"Plus, it might explain why Tails' fever was so high yesterday," Amy mentioned last of all. "If Eggman really was going to make a virus, he would definitely make it a really bad one."

"But if it is the Egg Virus, then (cough) why do I feel a little better now?" Tails asked no one in particular.

"Hey! All of you stop talking and listen to the message!!" Bokoon shouted out, "'Cause I won't pause it again!" He hit a button on the yellow TV to resume the message.

"Unfortunately," Eggman's recording again broke in with impeccable timing relative to the last question Tails had posed, "my Egg Virus was not perfected yet, so it may seem to come and go for a little while." The video of Eggman showed a close up of him poking two fingers together in mock shame. "But, rest assured, it will keep coming back worse and worse every time! Tails, I'm afraid that you might be stuck in bed for the rest of your life, which might not even last this whole week! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho!"

Tails went completely pale as he heard the horrible news. "What?! I may only have a week to live?! That can't be true!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs with such ferocity that even Bokoon backed away from the bed a few feet.

"Yes, that's right. My virus is meant to kill within days of the first fever! Of course, I do have a cure that will stop the Egg Virus before it's too late, but I'm afraid that I only have a single dose of it available," the undaunted recording rambled on while it showed a picture of Eggman holding a vial filled with a blue liquid. "That makes it very valuable to me, but I might trade it for, Oh, let's say, ALL OF YOUR CHAOS EMERALDS!!" Eggman's face filled the screen as he leaned forward into the camera for the last part of his sentence.

Everyone in the room gasped at the steep cost of Tails' well being. Tails fell back into his bed defeated. _I guess that I'd better start saying my goodbyes. There is no way that Sonic and the __others can afford to give away all the chaos emeralds just to help me get better. _He sunk into despair at the fate that he now faced; a tragically short life full of foul medicine, feverish nightmares, and a world that extended no farther than his bed. He let out an unrepressed moan as he accepted his sentence of a truly horrible death. Everyone else noticed the sudden change in the fox's attitude as the sickly kit suddenly seemed to look even less healthy, despite his recent improvement.

"Sonic, if you want to save your little buddy from an untimely demise, I suggest that you bring all your chaos emeralds to me at Devil's Bluff by four-o-clock today. And make sure to come alone. Any funny business and I might just drop this, and even you will never get the cure fast enough to save your pal! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho ho hooo!!" the recording concluded before the screen went blank. Bokoon quickly grabbed the small, yellow TV and returned it to his green bag before turning to leave.

"Wait a minute, buddy!" Sonic shouted out to the retreating Bokoon. "So that's it, no exploding TV's or cheap insults or slime that spews all over the place, just a message with no antics at the end?" The entire household knew that Bokoon never simply left after delivering a message until he had played some sort of prank.

"Nope, not this time!" the little flying robot responded in a sincere voice. "But I think that Tails might be about to spew all over the place!" Bokoon pointed to the figure of Tails as he suddenly stuck his head inside a bucket and proceeded to empty the contents of his stomach into it. Then Bokoon flew off laughing.

"At least his aim is improving," Ella commented after Tails finally ran out of fluid to add to the nearly full bucket, all without spilling any of its putrid contents. She grabbed the bucket from the sick-looking fox and left the room with it, followed slowly by most of the other people who were in the room. All that remained was Sonic, Chuck, Vanilla, and, of course, Tails.

"Well that settles it," Sonic spoke up while he watched Vanilla clean Tails' mouth for the third time in two days. Tails' face was both red from fever and embarrassment while pale from his recent discovery about his illness at the same time, and his large, blue eyes quivered in a sea of unshed tears. "We have to give Eggman the emeralds!"

"No way, Sonic!" Chuck burst in, equally moved by the sight of the poor fox on the bed next to them. "I care about Tails just as much as you do, but we can't give Eggman all six of the emeralds that we have collected so far. That means that he would only need one more to have them all, and we both know what could happen if Eggman had all the emeralds!"

"But I can't just stand here and watch my little bro suffer!!" Sonic yelled at Chuck in desperation and rage.

"You don't have to!" Chuck matched Sonic's volume. "I may be able to find the cure to the Egg Virus without Eggman's help."

"But that might take years!" Sonic pleaded to the overconfident scientist. "Tails may only have a few days! He could be dead by the time you find a cure!!"

"Well, it's better Tails than the whole planet, you selfish, uncaring…" Chuck shouted before being interrupted by an ear piercing scream from the room's sole bed.

"STOP IT!!" Tails yelled so loud that he thought his lungs would burst and forced Vanilla, who was sitting right beside him, to cover her large ears in pain. The exertion of such a loud yell caused Tails to slump back into bed, now unable to voice his opinion to the quarreling men who stared stunned at his never before seen rage. He clutched at the covers on Chris's bed as his pure moment of uncontrolled anger subsided into the deepest depression the little fox had ever felt. He immediately started crying into his pillows in a never-ending torrent of tears that even Vanilla couldn't stop.

"You two apologize to Tails right now!" Vanilla rebuked Sonic and Chuck in her own rarely heard angry voice. "Don't you understand how he must feel? He is being forced to choose to either die a horrible death or to allow Eggman to take over the world! And you two are his best friends, fighting with each other because of the choice he needs to make! He probably feels like he also has to choose between his best friends, as well as the fate of the world!" Vanilla's voice softened as she spoke, before she began shedding a few tears of her own as she tried to imagine the pressure Tails now felt. No one spoke for several minutes as Tails continued to cry, and Vanilla gently petted the back of his head to try and calm him down.

"Look, Tails, I'm sorry," Chuck leaned in close to his partner's long, furry ear before speaking softly. "I never really understood how this must affect you, buddy."

"Same here," Sonic said from where he stood next to his little brother's bedside beside Chuck and Vanilla.

"It's OK," Tails managed to say in between sobs. "I just don't think that I can take this anymore!"

"You won't have to," Chuck told his best friend, "because we are going to find a way to get that cure!"

"But Chuck," Tails suddenly stopped crying and lifted his head out of his pillow, "What about the rest of the world? If Eggman gets those emeralds…"

"Don't worry, little bro. We will think of a plan. Now, you just focus on getting yourself better and leave the rest of the world to us," Sonic said with a surprising amount of compassion.

"OK," Tails weakly replied as he dried his tears with a few swipes of his hand.

* * *

"Approaching final departure point!" the man behind a table full of maps of the seafloor shouted across the room to his captain, who stood in the center of the room with the secret agent that they were escorting to this location.

"Very well then, carry on," the captain of the super-secret military submarine told his men. Suddenly there was a crackle from the overhead speaker as a voice came out of the small box.

"Captain, this is sonar, we have unidentified transients leaving the base at mark zero-zero-seven at twenty knots and closing!" the voice of an officer came out of the speaker from a man all the way across the ship. "Targets are unidentifiable, sir, but they do not appear to be actively searching for us."

"Confirm the range to those targets and get me a firing solution for both!" the suddenly alarmed captain yelled to a crewman across the bridge who was already in a flurry of motion. "Just in case," the captain reassured the secret agent who stood calmly next to him. He knew that she was unaccustomed to submarines and wanted to make sure that she didn't feel threatened.

"Sonar, sir, targets have changed course to zero-three-eight and are proceeding to surface," the speaker again spouted out. Then, after a tense minute passed by, "Sir, sonar has lost contact. They broke the surface and disappeared entirely from our scopes."

"What?! How could they do that?! Even if they were running on the surface now, we should be able to pick them up on sonar!" The captain racked his memory of years of training in order to find the most likely solution to this impossible occurrence. At last, he thought of the only way an enemy vessel could possibly disappear from sonar entirely immediately after breaking the surface of the ocean above. "They flew away! What the devil were those things?!" the captain swore as he felt the sweat on his brow evaporate away.

"Impossible to tell, sir," the two-way speakers responded, "We have no records of the sounds these contacts created, but my best guess is that one was at least twice as large as we are while the other was no bigger than a single-manned submersible."

"It was Eggman's chair," Rouge blurted out the obvious solution. "Eggman just left his base with another one of his robots." She hated being inside this tin can full of finicky sailors. _At least while Eggy isn't around it will be much easier for me to sneak in. What perfect timing!_ Rouge thought as she donned her deep water scuba gear. "Permission to leave the ship, captain?" Rouge asked in a mocking tone.

"Granted," the now recomposed captain responded, completely ignoring the insubordinate tone the bat had addressed him with. "Good luck, agent Rouge."

She waved once over her shoulder as she left the bridge and headed for the middle of the submarine. She walked into a tiny room with an outer hatch to the open ocean and an interior hatch to prevent the submarine from flooding. She gave the sailor operating the door a quick wink after she secured the interior door behind her and waited as the room filled up with water. Finally, after the pressure inside and outside the room equalized, the submarine's outer hatch burst open and Rouge kicked off into the open sea.

She wasted no time in swimming up to Eggman's secret base, using ancient, barnacle encrusted boulders as cover just in case he had exterior cameras watching. The base was simple in design; it was essentially a large, metallic igloo on the sea floor with a huge metal door where the opening normally would be. Reaching the base's only entrance without incident, Rouge quickly typed in the passcode that Topaz had given her earlier into a simple keypad that controlled the massive, water-tight doors. She normally never trusted the information that she was given by other spies, but Topaz had said that she had personally checked out this passcode herself. Sure enough, the doors soon opened to admit the submerged bat and closed the second she made it through them. At first, Rouge was alarmed at the thought that she had been trapped until the water level in the room started falling. As the last of the salty water flowed out, the second door into Eggman's base proper opened up. _No guards,_ Rouge observed. _Eggy must think that no one can find him down here. Well, that just makes it easier for me!_ The still dripping bat dashed down a long corridor to get the layout of the secret base and begin her mission.


	8. Chapter 8: The Bluff Part One

Lethal Mutation

Hello once more to my continuing story of Tails' worst adventure ever! Reviews dropped slightly for last chapter, but I know that it's just because you are all speechless while you wait for news on what will happen to our poor fox now. (subliminal message- "Review!"- end of message) I want to say thanks to Zachary W, Drandu, cari, Rae Logan, and Asher Tye for their continuing support as well as You'veBeenJayed for his private message as well. (this time you can also review so it's easier for me to remember.) By the way, Drandu earns bonus points for revealing to me the correct way to spell Bokkun's name, and Zachary W gets mondo bonus points for an upcoming oneshot of his inspired somewhat from my story! (You guys do realize that these bonus points are useless, right? Well, just making sure...) Also, huge thanks to Tantrum, the adminstator of the T2 on C2 community, for adding my story to his awesome collection of great Tails fanfics! I'm now officially a successful writer, Yeah!!

Now, as you may have already noticed in the chapter title below, this is the first half of a two-part chapter that I decided to split for the sake of keeping the chapter to a more reasonable length. You'll see why when you read about all the different things going on at once in both parts. (Actually, I lied. I just love keeping you guys in suspense! Bwaaa ha ha ha ha!) The title of this chapter also has a double meaning, and the first one to get it earns more bonus points! Eggman's evil scheme and Tails' unfortunate sickness are all resolved in this huge chapter, so be prepared for a showdown of hilarious proportions!

Chapter 8: The Bluff (Part 1)

At the Thorndike Residence later that same Tuesday in the early afternoon, a crucial discussion that had been interrupted earlier now raged on...

"I know that we can find a cure for the Egg Virus in time, Sonic!" Chuck assured the distraught hedgehog. After having their heated argument suspended by Tails a few hours ago, Chuck and Sonic now stood in the front hall of the Thorndike's mansion at the foot of the stairway while they discussed their plan to save the doomed fox's life. "I and some of the greatest minds in the field of medicine are working around the clock to find a cure. There is no way that Eggman could have made a disease that we can't undo; he works with robots, not viruses!"

"But, what if you and your big-brained friends can't find the cure in time?!" Sonic replied to Chuck and his over-optimistic tone. "Don't you get it!? If I don't take all six of our chaos emeralds to Eggman in an hour, the only sure way to save Tails' life will be gone!!" Sonic was almost beyond logical thought now. Concern for his adopted little brother, Tails, had overwhelmed him to the point of desperation.

"Sonic! If Eggman gets all of our emeralds, then he will have enough power to destroy all of us, including Tails!!" Chuck tried to reason with the unstable hedgehog. "Look, I care about Tails, too, but even he wouldn't want us to sacrifice the whole world just to save his life!"

"Don't talk to me about how much you care for Tails! To you he is just a lab partner, but to me, he's my only family in the world, both of them!!" Sonic clenched his hands into fists so tight that had a piece of coal been in his palm, it would have emerged a diamond. Then Sonic dissolved into heaving sobs on the tiled floor. The most impenetrable creature ever to be born had finally been felled completely, not by a high-tech, super robot, but by a simple message from his archenemy that wasn't even addressed to him.

Chuck stared at the blue heap that had once been the invincible Sonic the hedgehog. He had wanted to continue the argument by saying that he cared for Tails as much as Sonic did, but now he realized that it wasn't true. Nobody could possibly care more for Tails than his big brother. He felt horrible for not realizing this sooner and wanted to say something, anything, to comfort the grieving Sonic. Realizing that the damage was done and there was nothing he could do now to console him, Chuck quietly walked away from the hedgehog and headed into his secret lab to check on the progress of Tails' hopeful cure. He began to shed tears of his own as the elevator began its descent.

* * *

_What a dumb idiot!_ Sonic thought as he heard Chuck walk away without a single word in apology. _He will keep on looking for a cure to the Egg Virus until Tails is already dead! I have __to help my buddy, no matter what!_ Sonic stood back up and started to walk towards the attic of the garage where the chaos emeralds were all stored in a special tank that kept them safe. Before he even left the room, however, his mind was bombarded by the thoughts that he had just tried to silence a minute ago. _But…Chuck is right. Tails would never be selfish enough to risk giving Eggman all of the chaos emeralds just to save himself! Even if I did trade the emeralds for the cure, my little bro would be disappointed in me forever! If only I knew where the final emerald was, so I could make sure Eggman never gets them all, even if I gave him our six!_

While Sonic wrestled in his mind on what to do, a knock was heard on the front door right beside where Sonic now stood. Sonic looked around, expecting to see Mr. Tanaka show up to answer the door, but he was currently picking up Chris from school. After a few seconds of hearing no one approaching, Sonic decided to open it himself. Outside the door stood a red echidna with a fist cocked to knock a second time. "What are you doin' here, Knuckles?" Sonic asked, momentarily forgetting his grief.

"Sonic? Are you feeling OK?" Knuckles inquired upon seeing the tears still fresh on Sonic's face.

"I'm fine, Knucklehead. What did you want?" Sonic lied as he repeated his earlier question. _No matter what happens, Sonic the hedgehog will never be caught crying by anyone ever again, especially Knuckles, _thought Sonic.

"Geeess! Someone got up on the wrong side of the bed today!" Knuckles taunted Sonic, totally unaware of the blue hedgehog's current condition. "I just stopped by to show you this." Knuckles removed a small burlap sack from his chest pocket and opened it to show Sonic its contents. The final, glowing, ruby-colored emerald shone into Sonic's eyes as the hedgehog finally regained hope for his buddy's salvation.

"Where did you find this?!" Sonic exclaimed in awe at the wonderful sight before him.

"A friend gave it to me. No what should I do with it?" Knuckles smiled as he asked the strangely acting hedgehog. "I know that you guys have the other six, so I was thinking of letting you hold on to it just in case we needed to use chaos control again."

"Sounds like a good idea, Knux!" Sonic was absolutely cheerful now. He had just been given a brilliant idea for a plan that would keep Tails alive and prevent Eggman from ever having all seven emeralds. "Only problem is, well, now is a bad time to disturb Chuck and Tails, and they are the only ones who would know how to deal with it properly. Maybe you should come back in, Oh, let's say, an hour? Then, I'm sure they will be glad to see ya'." Sonic had developed his plan perfectly. He would send Knuckles away for one hour, so that he could steal the chaos emeralds and make the trade with Eggman. Then, when he returned with Tails' cure, Knuckles would come back with the final emerald so that they still had one that Eggman would never know about. _As long as I can keep one emerald hidden from Eggman, I can steal the rest back __again later!_ Sonic caught a smile starting to cross his mouth and hoped that Knuckles hadn't seen the subtle tell.

"Wait a minute, have you flipped your lid, Sonic? Chuck and Tails can't possibly be too busy to miss out on having the final emerald! Something smells fishy about this!" Knuckles was about ready to barge his way inside and search for Tails and Chuck himself when Sonic quickly stopped him. "Out of my way!" Knuckles yelled at the deceptive hedgehog. "If you think you can trick me, then forget it! I'm going to show the emerald to everyone right now, and you can't stop me, Sonic!"

"OK, fine, Knucklehead! But don't tell me that I didn't warn ya'!" Sonic attempted to deter the gullible echidna.

"What do you mean, Sonic?" Knuckles unknowingly fell for Sonic's last-ditch trap.

"To tell you the truth, Tails is very sick right now, Knux," Sonic selectively informed the echidna.

"Wait a minute, did you just say that Tails is sick?" Knuckles interrupted in disbelief. "I've never heard of that little guy ever being sick before."

"Me neither, Knuckles," Sonic let some of his concern leak into his voice. "He's never been sick before, but during our ski trip this weekend he caught a really bad cold and has been in bed ever since. Chuck is very busy trying to find a way to help him, but he is havin' a hard time. So, you see, if you brought that final emerald here now, Chuck would have to stop working on his cure for a while and find a place to keep that last emerald safely away from the others. That means that Tails would probably be sick for a whole 'nother day while Chuck builds a device to store that emerald, and do you really want to make the little guy suffer even longer?" the cunning hedgehog concluded by targeting Knuckles' all-important pride. Sonic's twisted version of the true story sounded perfectly reasonable, even to him.

"Of course not!" Knuckles replied, insulted that Sonic would possibly think that he could be so cruel as to prolong the suffering of a sick person. "But, why should I come back in an hour?" Knuckles asked as he saw a potential flaw in Sonic's story. "Won't Chuck still be busy by then?"

"Well, duh, Knucklebrain! Of course he won't be done by then," Sonic said as he quickly racked his brain to find a suitable reason for the echidna to return later. Knuckles was asking more questions than Sonic had anticipated he would, and the blue hedgehog was running out of good answers. "But, Chris will be back from school by then, and he could help Chuck take care of the emerald while he works on Tails' cure." Sonic smiled at his quick save. There was no way the all-brawn echidna could find a problem with that argument.

"OK, then," Knuckles said as he turned to leave, "I will be back here in one hour with the emerald. You'd better be ready by then!"

* * *

"Egg Virus?" a voice came from the laptop's speakers. "I thought that this was just a simple case of a bad cold!" The man at the other end of the country spoke in a live video conference with Chuck in the Thorndike's secret lab. "What makes you so sure that Dr. Eggman is telling the truth?"

"Well, for starters, he knew about Tails' illness without ever having seen him since his crash last Sunday," Chuck explained to the professional epidemiologist on the other side of his screen. "Also, you even said yourself that Tails' symptoms were unusually severe, which tends to support the Egg Virus theory."

"Except that the Egg Virus doesn't exist!" the voice again blared through the speakers. "Look at your screen. Are you familiar with this test?"

Chuck's screen showed a routine culture test that had been adapted to detect viruses and identify any that were found. "This is a very basic test, so, yes. You did this test on the sample that I sent you yesterday?" Chuck wondered where this was going.

"We did, and here are the results," the man in a lab coat responded as a readout appeared on Chuck's screen.

Chuck looked closely at the test's results hoping to gather some information on the Egg Virus's makeup and function. Finally, he scrolled down and saw a single line that gave him a new sense of hope for his best friend. "This can't be true! Are you sure these results are correct?!"

"One hundred percent positive. And there was nothing even close to an 'Egg Virus' in any of our tests. The test results came back negative for every known and unknown pathogen except one, influenza." the epidemiologist's voice reassured Chuck. "I have no idea how Eggman knew about Tails' sickness, but I would not think it too hard for him to guess that after having almost frozen your friend solid, Tails would probably catch a cold as a result."

"You mean that Eggman made a lucky guess!?" Chuck almost shouted in surprise.

"It is possible," the epidemiologist speculated, "However, a man of Eggman's talent and resourcefulness may have been able to find out about Tails through any number of different means."

"Well, what about the reason that Tails had run such a high fever?" Chuck still refused to accept the too-good-to-be-true news. "I just can't believe that Eggman would risk such an elaborate scheme if he hadn't been absolutely sure that Tails was very sick."

"As you can see by the results," the man's now impatient voice answered yet again, "the particular strand of influenza that Tails has is a very serious, new strain. As a matter of fact, because it seems to have a preference towards creatures from Tails' world, it is now being named the Mobian Flu. Luckily, we do not believe that it is contagious other than through bodily fluids, so if you have been carefully cleaning up after each time Tails has vomited, then no one else should get it either."

"So, when will this Mobian Flu wear itself out?" Chuck asked, now completely convinced that there was no Egg Virus at all.

"Your friend should already be getting better as we speak," the speakers conveyed the welcome news. "Now, please kindly refrain from getting so hysterical about a common cold in the future. I am a very busy man, Chuck, so unless someone over there shows symptoms of Ebola, don't call me again!" The video conference ended abruptly leaving Chuck more than a little embarrassed and very relieved.

* * *

Tails was very confused now. _Eggman said that his Egg Virus would come and go, but it feels to me like it is completely gone!_ Vanilla had just checked his temperature again and had been surprised to read a perfect 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. Tails also felt perfectly healthy, too. He had even asked Ella to bring him some food, and he now scarfed down chili dog after chili dog. Because of his upset stomach, Tails hadn't eaten much the last couple of days, which meant that his appetite by now was huge. _I might as well enjoy this while it lasts,_ Tails thought to himself while he ate, _The Egg Virus could probably come back any time, and then I will probably never feel like eating again._

Ella and Vanilla stood away from the fox's bed as they watched him devour a whole plate full of chili dogs that he had requested as a kind of last meal. Ella gripped her most powerful carpet vacuum in anticipation of another of Tails' stomach upsets. But, to both of their surprises, Tails showed no signs of getting sick as he ate at a breakneck speed. As a matter of fact, for the last half-hour Tails' only sign of sickness had been sporadic coughing. The door opened as Chris and Knuckles walked in the room.

"Wow, Tails! I guess that you are feeling much better!" Chris said in amazement as the fox downed a glass of cola in large gulps.

"Yeah, you don't look very sick to me!" Knuckles said almost immediately following Chris's statement.

"I know that I don't look like it now," Tails explained to them. "But, in a few hours the Egg Virus might come back, and then I will be even sicker than before."

"Egg Virus?!" Knuckles and Chris spoke as one in confusion. Tails spent the next five minutes explaining Bokkun's message and Eggman's demands for the cure.

"Let me get this straight, Tails, if Sonic doesn't give Eggman all of your chaos emeralds by four-o-clock today, you are tellin' me that you are going to die from a disease that Eggman created and gave to you by accident?!" Knuckles recapped the outlandish story.

"That's right, Knuckles," Tails said with his face downcast.

"But, you can't die, Tails! You're my friend!" Chris hollered as he began crying.

"He isn't going to die! He's not even going to come close!" Chuck yelled as he ran into the room and hugged Tails tightly.

"Thanks for trying to cheer me up, Chuck," Tails said as he felt his eyes filling with tears again. "I know that you are going to miss me a lot."

"No, Tails!" Chuck let go of the fox as he stared him in the eyes. "I mean that the Egg Virus is a phony. You only got a bad case of the Mobian Flu, and it's all over now!"

Tails stared at Chuck in shock. _Is he telling me the truth, or has the thought of losing me caused him to lose his mind?_ Then, Tails saw the look in his friend's eyes. _He is telling the truth! I know it! Chuck would never lie to me like this; I'm cured!!_ "Yippeeee!!" Tails shouted and jumped up and down jubilantly as the first good news in days finally sunk in. "Where's Sonic, Chuck? We've got to tell him right away!"

"He's gone, Tails," Chris burst in, now wiping the tears off his face. "Knuckles and I saw him run off towards the mountains about ten minutes ago."

"Yeah, and before he left, he told me to bring this here after Chris got home," Knuckles said as he produced the ruby red chaos emerald from its bag. All eyes stared transfixed on the final chaos emerald.

Mr. Tanaka suddenly appeared in the doorway with Cream, Cheese, and Amy. They all looked thoroughly confused, but very relieved as well. "I am glad to see that you are once again well, Master Tails. However, I must regret to inform you that the chaos emeralds have been stolen!"

All eyes in the room turned to Chuck in confusion and shock. "What? I certainly didn't take them!"

"But you are the only one other than Tails that uses them," Amy pointed out.

"Hold on, everyone! Mr. Tanaka, how do you know about me being healthy and that the Egg Virus was a fake?" Tails asked the question that had just presented itself to him.

"Mr. Thorndike was kind enough to inform us all of your recovery and Eggman's evil scheme before he came up to see you," Mr. Tanaka replied while nodding toward Chuck.

"But, what does this have to do with the missing chaos emeralds?" Amy quickly returned to the subject. There was a brief pause as everyone contemplated who the thief might have been.

"I think I saw Sonic take them out of the garage before he ran away a few minutes ago," Cream boldly answered the question as all eyes stared at her for a moment. "That's why I asked Mr. Tanaka to check on them just now."

"Wait a minute! Why would Sonic tell Knuckles to wait to give us the last chaos emerald and then run off to who-knows-where with the other six emeralds? Unless…" Chuck put the pieces of the puzzle together.

"Unless he plans to give Eggman the chaos emeralds in return for the cure to the Egg Virus!" Tails finished his thought as a sudden feeling of dread sunk into his chest. "Sonic doesn't know that the Egg Virus is a fake and that I'm better now!"

"Wait a second, do you mean to say that Sonic fell for a trap set by Eggman to get all six of your chaos emeralds?" Knuckles chimed in angrily. "And that I fell for a trap that Sonic set for me to prevent Eggman from getting all seven emeralds after he gave all of your emeralds to him? That would mean that I've been tricked by someone who was already tricked!"

"That sounds about right, Knuckles, but why does it matter?" Tails responded to Knuckles' hard to decipher ranting.

"That means that I have been **double tricked!**" Knuckles shouted in rage. "Nobody tricks me and gets away with it, especially not Sonic AND Eggman **at the same time!!**"

"Knuckles is right!" Amy called out from the doorway, "Eggman has tricked all of us, and it's time for us to repay the favor!!" She started swinging her giant Piko Piko Hammer in frustration, nearly knocking out everyone in the room.

"Amy, calm down!" Tails shouted to the irate pink hedgehog. "I am the person Eggman used to trick Sonic, so I'm going to go and fix this mistake by myself." Tails immediately leaped out of bed and marched towards the door to his cozy prison. He stumbled in the doorway as he tripped over his own feet by accident, but he caught himself before he fell.

"Honey, I know that you feel better now, but maybe you should still get some rest before you try to fly the X-Tornado again," Vanilla suggested to the wobbly fox.

Tails shook his head at the motherly bunny's request. "No, Eggman has played a horrible trick on all of us, but I was the one that he hurt most of all. Now I want to teach him a lesson personally!" Almost everyone in the room gasped as Tails made his threat and wondered if Tails would follow through with it.

"Whoa there, kiddo!" Knuckles spoke to the enraged kit, "You aren't the kind of person who usually makes threats."

"No, I'm not," Tails replied in a softer tone, but with no less determination. "But what Eggman did to me is something so foul that I can't just forgive him, at least, not yet."

"Then let me help you set things straight!" Knuckles volunteered as he put a hand on Tails shoulder. "Besides, we have to save Sonic before he gives Eggman the chaos emeralds!"

"Can I come, too, Tails?" Chris asked as Tails and Knuckles turned to leave the room together.

"Not this time, Chris," Chuck said unexpectedly. "This time it's my turn to help Tails! Besides, I need to apologize to Sonic for some things that I said earlier." He looked straight at Tails as he continued on, "Tails, I know that Eggman's lie must have hurt you the most, but it also hurt Sonic just as bad to think that he might lose you. That's why he took the emeralds to Eggman even though he knew that it was wrong. He's completely devastated right now, Tails, and I feel like I may have made it worse. Let me tag along and set things right, too!" Chuck's heartfelt plea and description of a broken Sonic touched everyone, including Knuckles.

"Hey, Knuckles! Are you crying?" Amy's astonished voice broke the silence.

Knuckles immediately shook the single teardrop from his eye in a smooth motion that erased the incriminating evidence instantly without giving it away to the other people in the room. "NO!! I never cry!" Knuckles shouted defiantly. "Now are we going to rescue Sonic and those chaos emeralds or what?!"

"Let's go!!" Tails shouted as the threesome of him, Chuck, and Knuckles ran downstairs towards the waiting X-Tornado.


	9. Chapter 8: The Bluff Part Two

Lethal Mutation

OK, here it is, Part Two! Thanks to all you reviewers who continue to give me your support: (this list is getting a little long, but that's a good problem!) Asher Tye, Nicend, cari, Rae Logan, Zachary W, and Drandu! Also, a huge celebration with bonus points all around for my two new reviewers and loyal readers, Shika Kev Prower and ChibiRyou200! (embarrasing video of drunk people without shirts on yelling their heads off at a football game) OK, I really need to find some better videos, but anywho... Oh, a special thank you as well goes out to ChibiRyou200 for being the first person to post on my forum!! (your bonus points should arrive in the mail in a couple weeks. I'm kidding!)

Now, a lot of you readers guessed about the double meaning of this chapter's title, but none of you have responded with the correct answer yet. Two of you actually guessed both halves of it, but no one has put both of them together yet so keep guessing! After this chapter, it should be a dead giveaway. Now grab some popcorn (non-buttered, unless you want to screw up your keyboard and mouse) and get ready for the conclusion of this exciting chapter!

Chapter 8: The Bluff (Part 2)

The peaceful mountains outside Station Square are known for many scenic overlooks. One has a sordid history and is now commonly refered to as Devil's Bluff. At precisely 4:01 pm on this average Tuesday afternoon, three figures are seen at the edge of this landmark waiting patiently...

"That's strange. Sonic should have been here by now. What is keeping that impossible hedgehog so long?!" Eggman remarked as he checked his watch for the billionth time in the last hour. "Could it be possible that he saw through my perfectly plotted ruse?"

"What if your plan was wrong, Doctor?" Decoe inquired.

"How dare you suggest that my evil schemes aren't one hundred percent brilliant!" Eggman yelled at his robotic helpers.

"But Doctor, what if Sonic never shows up?" Bocoe added.

"Silence!! You two are supposed to be hidden with my secret weapon to crush Sonic once he hands me the emeralds!" Eggman chided his unfaithful assistants. "Besides, the medicine that Sonic was carrying yesterday was very powerful, which means that his little foxy friend must be deathly ill. I just can't believe that Sonic would choose to sacrifice Tails' life rather than give me the chaos emeralds! That hedgehog is so selfish!!"

"It does seem rather unlike Sonic to possibly let his friend die just to keep his six chaos emeralds," Decoe agreed. "But what if Tails was not the one who is sick?"

"What do you mean?" Eggman cringed as the unlikely, yet possible, alternative presented itself.

"He means that if Tails was not the one who is sick, Sonic would know that your message must have been a fake and may not show up at all!" Bocoe presented the worst case scenario.

"True, true. But, I know that Tails is the one who's under the weather because the X-Tornado wasn't there to help Sonic defeat my Egg Tarantula yesterday. And, what could possibly have kept Tails from helping Sonic defeat one of my robots that was destroying the city?" Eggman reanalyzed his reasoning to reassure himself that he hadn't made a mistake. "The answer is in the medicine Sonic was holding; Tails was simply far too sick to fly the infernal contraption!"

"But, Doctor! What if the X-Tornado was simply too damaged to fly?! You did blast it with a chaos emerald-powered freeze ray!" Bocoe again questioned his master's logic.

"That is possible, but why would Sonic need that medicine then?" Eggman posed the question as he saw a potential flaw in his assumptions that might unravel his entire plan.

"Who knows? Maybe Sonic was just running an emergency for someone in the hospital that needed the medicine quickly. It may not even be someone that he knows at all!" Decoe continued speculating.

"Hmmm… For the first time ever, you two bucket heads may be correct!" Eggman shouted in surprise. The explanation that they had given of Sonic running an urgent errand for a stranger and the X-Tornado being too damaged to fly seemed to make sense. Worst of all, Sonic the hedgehog was never late to a meeting that Eggman had set before, which cast doubt on the fact that Eggman's original theory had been correct. Although highly improbable, this new sequence of events could be true, and Eggman didn't want to know how much ridicule he would get if his message had been delivered to a perfectly healthy Tails and friends. Eggman mentally berated himself for not telling Bokkun to confirm the yellow fox's sickness before he left for the rendezvous. "I suppose that we should leave, then. If Sonic was going to show, he would have been here by now. Drat that blasted hedgehog!"

"Wait, Doctor! Look!" Bocoe suddenly spoke up as he pointed towards a nearby trail leading to the top of the bluff.

"Is that Sonic?" Decoe asked aloud as a blue figure came into view with a slow gait and hunched shoulders.

"It is! Hurry, you idiots! Hide and get my secret surprise ready!" Eggman spoke in a new tone of urgency. _I need to make sure that I was right about Tails before I say something wrong, or else Sonic might figure me out and run off with my emeralds! But, how to do it without showing him that it was just a guess? Hmmmm…_

* * *

Sonic slowly walked up to the edge of Devil's Bluff. He raised his head to see the smiling face floating over the abyss in his infernal hover chair. He knew that he was late, and he was actually relieved to see that Eggman had waited for him. _I don't understand what's happening to me. I couldn't even run all the way here. It must be the pain of betraying my friends and Tails that's slowing me down. _Sonic looked like he had just finished a cross-planet race and been attacked a couple of times along the way as well. _It doesn't matter now,_ he told himself. _I have to do this to save Tails' life, whether he would want me to or not. Besides, Knuckles has the last emerald safe and sound for now, so Eggman at least won't get all seven if I give him these six. _The hedgehog shifted his gaze to the six sparkling gems he now cradled in his arms.

"Sonic! You do know that you're late, don't you?" Eggman goaded the obviously disturbed hedgehog. "Why, you look awfully…awful! Are you that concerned for your little friend?"

"Why did you do this to Tails, Egghead?!" Sonic now shifted completely into a rage as he stared down his little brother's would-be murderer.

"I told you, Sonic; that drink was meant for you. If you hadn't left that party early, Tails would never have been in this situation at all. You are the one who is truly responsible for making him sick!" Eggman allowed a large grin to spread across his face. Sonic had unknowingly given him all the proof that he had needed to make certain that Tails was indeed very ill. Now, he blamed Sonic for his adopted brother's disease to further confuse and torture the already torn hedgehog.

"NO! I would never…I couldn't…have known…you…ARRRGGGG!!" Sonic dropped the emeralds like they were garbage and clasped his head with both hands as the thoughts in his mind began to cascade out of control again. He felt himself drowning in his own thoughts and fought to find anything that he could hold on to that would prove Eggman wrong. At last he found a foothold that allowed him to keep his sanity, revenge. "That may be true, Eggman," Sonic composed himself and rose to his full height, "But, you created the Egg Virus in the first place! And if Tails ends up dying from it, you will regret it forever!!" He curled into a ball and charged a spin dash, intending to crash a hole right through Eggman's hovering chair and force him to hand over the antidote.

"Don't be so hasty, Sonic. If you so much as move a muscle, then Tails' chance for a cure might tragically slip through my fingers!" Eggman reached into his pocket and pulled out a vial full of a luminous, blue liquid and held it out over the bluff.

Realizing that he had no control over the situation at all, Sonic immediately stopped spinning and stood in place, still seething with anger. "OK, Egghead. You live, but only if Tails lives after I give him that medicine! Now give it here!"

"Not until you give me your six chaos emeralds," Eggman expertly bartered back at the irate hedgehog.

"Fine! Here they are, Eggman!" Sonic said as he pointed to the six emeralds he stole from the Thorndike mansion's garage attic scattered on the ground in front of him. "Now hand over the goods before it's too late!!"

"Just a second, you blue pain-in-the-backside! How do I know that these emeralds aren't fake, like the one you tried to trick me with back on Space Colony Ark?" Eggman interrogated the pleading hedgehog. "You don't get a drop of this antidote until I am convinced that these are the real deal!"

"There's no time for this, Egghead!! Tails needs that cure right away or else he may die!" Sonic saw that Eggman was unmoved and again gave in to the evil genius's will. "Fine then, check them yourself!" Sonic shouted as he tossed the crystal clear emerald that Eggman had attempted to steal on the mountain a few days ago at the floating chair in front of him.

"That's more like it, Sonic! The more you cooperate, the faster Tails will be cured." Eggman caught the chaos emerald that Sonic had thrown and proceeded to check it like a professional jeweler to find any imperfections that would betray a clever fake. "Well, well, Sonic! It looks like, if nothing else, you are certainly honest." Loud beeping suddenly came from a small device in Eggman's floating chair that was linked to his proximity radar that had been scanning the area for uninvited guests. "Or perhaps not. I told you to come alone, Sonic!" Eggman shouted out, infuriated that someone would intrude now when all these emeralds were within his grasp.

"I did come alone, I swear!" Sonic pleaded to Eggman in a desperate attempt to get Tails' cure before Eggman decided to go back on the deal. Just then, a familiar figure appeared in the distance as it flew towards the bluff at lightning speed. _The X-Tornado!! But who is flying it?! And why are they here?! If they make Eggman leave now, I may never get that cure from him!_ Just as Sonic was about to take his chances in stealing the vial from Eggman's hand before he could drop it, a very familiar voice rang out from the X-Tornado's general direction.

"Sonic! Sonic! Don't do it, Sonic! I'm not sick anymore, see! The Egg Virus was just a huge lie Eggman used to get you to give him the chaos emeralds!" Tails' voice boomed from an exterior loudspeaker linked to his headset.

Sonic's mind went reeling after hearing his little brother's voice. He simply stood there as his mind attempted to sort everything out. _Tails isn't gonna die? Eggman lied? But, how? Wait, that doesn't matter now. That was Tails' voice and here is the X-Tornado right in front of my eyes! Tails is cured!! The Egg Virus must have been a fake! But, that means that Eggman has tricked me into giving him six chaos emeralds for a fake cure! _Sonic growled behind barred teeth as he realized his huge mistake. _Bad move, Egghead! Now, you've really made me mad!!_

"Blast that furry yellow freak!!" Eggman shouted as he realized that he had been made. "I thought that after the freezing that I gave him, Tails would be in bed for a week at least! Oh well, it's already too late! I already got all the chaos emeralds! Whoo ho ho ho ho…HUH?" Eggman had turned around momentarily when the X-Tornado had appeared behind him, and, now that he turned back to grab the other five emeralds, he was shocked to find them in the hands of a very angry Sonic the hedgehog.

"Eggman!! You are going to pay for this!!" Sonic almost screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Oh my! I think that I might want to leave now!" Eggman squealed as his chair began to fly away over the bluff. "Decoe! Bocoe! Activate the Quake-O-Matic!!"

"Get back here, Egghead!" the blue hedgehog shouted to the retreating Dr. Robotnik. Then, Sonic saw a huge anvil shaped weight lift from its camouflaged position on top of the highest point of Devil's Bluff and smash into the ground. Its impact caused the ground to shake so violently that Sonic was knocked over onto his rump as he held tightly to the five chaos emeralds in his hands. As soon as he regained his footing, the ground that he was standing on near the bluff's edge gave way, and he fell down the side of the mountain towards certain doom. At the final second, Sonic remembered the emeralds that he had miraculously kept hold of and realized his only way to escape the crushing fall. "Chaos Control!" Sonic shouted as the five emeralds he held glowed brightly. Then, Sonic and the emeralds completely disappeared as the debris that had fallen beside him hit the jagged mountain's base.

* * *

"NOOOOO!! SONIC!!" Tails shouted as he saw Devil's Bluff disappear in a landslide of boulders as large as small buildings. He accelerated the X-Tornado to its maximum speed as he dove towards his plummeting friend. _I'm not going to make it in time! Even with a chaos emerald to power it, the X-Tornado can't fly fast enough to catch Sonic before he's crushed! I was too late!_ As Tails watched Sonic fall through the collapsing rubble towards the ground, he began to wonder if Sonic could possibly survive the fall and being buried by the rubble of the crumbling mountain face.

"Tails, pull up!" Chuck shouted from the rear cockpit through Tails' headset. "We can't do anything for Sonic if we crash, too!"

Tails snapped back to his senses as he pulled the X-Tornado out of its suicidal dive. He knew that Chuck was right, but watching his big brother fall to his death had paralyzed him momentarily. As the X-Tornado regained altitude, Tails heard the sound of Devil's Bluff crashing onto the mountain's base. Before the tears could even start forming in his eyes, Tails was suddenly blinded by a flash of light from the nose of the X-Tornado's forward fuselage. His hand shot up instantly to shield his eyes. The flash lasted a couple of seconds before Tails moved his hand away from his eyes to see what had appeared on the nose of the plane. Standing right outside the cockpit in front of him stood Sonic the hedgehog, with a large grin on his face and five chaos emeralds in his hands.

"Hiya, little bro!" Sonic greeted his relieved brother.

"Sonic!!" Tails shouted out as he opened his cockpit, despite the fact that the X-Tornado was in mid-flight. "Hop in!"

"No thanks, bro! You know that I like it better on the outside!" Sonic always rode the X-Tornado on the nose or lying on a rear wing root because he could feel the rush of the wind as he flew through the air at speeds about as fast as he went on ground. He carefully walked up to Tails' open cockpit and tossed the five emeralds that he now held into Tails' lap. "Head's up, Tails! I need you to take care of these for me."

Tails saw Sonic toss the emeralds at him and quickly let go of the controls to catch the emeralds in his lap. He knew that the autopilot would keep the plane airborn while he attended to the more serious matter. "Wait a minute, Sonic!" Tails spoke in shock as he took inventory of the emeralds now in his lap. "Where's the sixth emerald we found during our ski trip?"

"Eggman still has it, buddy. So let's go get it back!" Sonic said before he flashed a "thumb's up" and dashed to the rear of the X-Tornado and the waiting echidna.

"So, you let Eggman get the emeralds, didn't ya?" Knuckles gruffly spoke to Sonic as the hedgehog appeared next to him at the rear wing.

"Heya, Knuckles! Glad you could make it!" Sonic playfully remarked. He knew that by dodging the echidna's question, he would get to see that comical look of annoyance and anger that only Knuckles could pull off. Sonic laughed as Knuckles turned his head to give Sonic that exact glare.

"What's so funny?! And where are the emeralds?! Don't tell me that Eggman got all six of them!!" Knuckles demanded.

"Egghead only got one, Knucklebrain. If he had gotten all of them, I would have been splattered hedgehog right now. Now what do you say we take out that robot of his before it brings down the entire mountain?" Sonic pointed towards the giant anvil shaped contraption that had caused the collapse that had nearly killed him.

"Fine by me!" Knuckles shouted before gliding off the wing of the X-Tornado towards the Quake-O-Matic.

"Tails, you go after Eggman!" Sonic yelled out before he jumped off the wing himself and began a mid-air spin dash straight towards the bulky robot. The distance he fell from the X-Tornado to the robot below served to increase the power of his spin dash until Sonic was practically causing a small rotating pocket of air to surround him as he fell. Upon impact with the Quake-O-Matic's outer metal plating, Sonic sliced straight through as if it had been made of tissue paper. Sonic punctured the other side of the giant robot and screeched to a halt next to Knuckles on the plateau at the top of the mountain.

"No fair, Sonic! You were supposed to leave some for me!" Knuckles shouted in anger as the Quake-O-Matic spouted fire from Sonic's surgical strike into its core.

"Sorry, Knux! You snooze, you lose!" Sonic taunted the annoyed echidna.

"Grrrrrr…" Knuckles growled at the thought of having come all the way out here to help and not being able to punch anything. Suddenly, hundreds of secret hatches on the Quake-O-Matic blew apart as a whole army of levitating, robotic drones wielding sledgehammers sped towards them from the wreckage. "That's more like it!!" Knuckles shouted as he rushed towards the new foes with a large smile on his face.

Sonic saw the new enemy robots and dashed straight towards them as well, neck-and-neck with the determined Knuckles. As they reached the advancing column of robotic sledgehammer fighters, both of them broke apart and proceeded to attack individually. Sonic dodged several quick swings by the robo-hammer wielders before he grabbed the nearest enemy and swung it around in a large circle. The impact of the hostage robot on all its surrounding friends caused a complete 360 degrees of broken metal. Sonic shrugged as he tossed away the battered and broken enemy that had proven so helpful against its comrades before running off to find more foes.

Knuckles had not taken such a flashy and ingenious approach to this fight. He simply barreled into the thick of all the robotic sledgehammer drones with fists flying. Every punch he threw tossed another hunk of metal that had once been an enemy into the air. He ducked a well aimed horizontal strike at his head and was rewarded by seeing his attacker colliding with another of its friends, and both of them being destroyed in the process. Pretty soon, the echidna found himself surrounded by nothing but scrap metal. "Is that it, Eggman?!" Knuckles taunted the absent doctor. "I didn't even break a sweat!"

"Hey, cool it, Knucklehead!" Sonic said as he dashed up. All the robotic sledgehammer-bots had been destroyed in the matter of a few minutes. "So, now what?" Sonic asked Knuckles, wondering what they needed to do now.

"You need to think about what you almost did, Sonic!" Knuckles suddenly verbally assaulted the shocked Sonic. "Remember what Eggman created last time that you let him get six chaos emeralds? That Egg-sterminator thing almost killed you!"

"I know, Knuckles," Sonic replied in a defeated tone. "I was just so worried about Tails that I couldn't think straight. I know that if Eggman had gotten those six emeralds, we may not have been able to defeat his next ultimate robot. So, I'm sorry, OK! Now get off my back, Knucklehead!" Sonic's rarely heard apology stunned Knuckles momentarily, despite the rude way the hedgehog put his words.

"Well, I'm outta' here!" Knuckles finally answered with a quick swipe of a hand through his dreadlocks. "And, try not to let Eggman trick you again, Sonic! Bye!" He leapt off the top of the mountain and glided away.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to be confused for you, Knucklebrain!" Sonic yelled after the retreating figure of Knuckles. Quickly, Sonic scanned the skies for any sign of Eggman or the X-Tornado. Finding neither, Sonic began running up and down the mountain range until he gave up and decided to wait for Tails to find him. He reclined in the middle of a grassy field on top of the mountain that had once featured Devil's Bluff. He knew that his little bro would probably show up soon, and he sincerely hoped that Tails had recovered the chaos emerald from Eggman. _I sure messed up this time! Well, at least Eggman won't get more than one emerald after all. _Sonic then remembered the entire reason that the whole mess had started. _But, the thing that I am most grateful for is that my little bro is perfectly fine now! I know he needs me, but I don't know if he realizes just how much I need him._ Sonic sat up from his comfortable lying down position and opened his eyes as he heard the sound of the X-Cyclone landing right next to him.

* * *

"Tails, you go after Eggman!" he heard Sonic yell before the hedgehog jumped off the rear of the X-Tornado and dove towards the Quake-O-Matic.

"Gotcha' Sonic!" Tails replied, although he knew that the hedgehog couldn't hear him anymore with his cockpit now closed again. "Hang on, Chuck! We're goin' to get back that last chaos emerald!"

"OK, Tails! I have Eggman's chair on my radar. He is flying low, heading due east, and moving really fast. We may not be able to catch him in time at our current speed," Chuck rattled off as he checked the instrument panel in front of him.

"No problem, Chuck! Now we have more than enough power with these chaos emeralds!" Tails quickly inserted the extra five emeralds into a chute next to his control panel. This chute fed the emeralds directly into a special chamber that stored them safely while allowing Tails to still siphon off some of their extra energy directly into the engines. Immediately, the lights on the dashboard instruments flared brighter and the X-Tornado shuddered under a sudden boost of speed. "Look out, Eggman! Now it's my turn to give you a message!"

"Let's not overdo it, Tails," Chuck's voice of restraint doused Tails' growing fury.

"Right! Sorry, Chuck," Tails replied in a slight chuckle as he put one hand behind his head in his classic gesture of embarrassment at being caught in the rare instance of him overreacting.

* * *

"Doctor Eggman, please wait for us!" Bocoe shouted to the hastily retreating Eggman.

"Yes, Doctor, let us join you!" Decoe also hollered towards Eggman's quickly moving chair.

"Why aren't you two back there fighting Sonic like I told you to?!" Eggman shouted back without even slowing down. His two bumbling assistants were running as fast as they could through the rugged terrain below as they begged for their master to pick them up.

"But Doctor, Sonic already destroyed the Quake-O-Matic!" Decoe quickly informed Dr. Robotnik.

"Then that means he is fighting my Sledge-hog Hammers right now! Why aren't you leading them?!" Eggman interrogated his persistent followers.

"Do you really think that those contraptions have a chance at defeating Sonic, Doctor?" Bocoe shot back in an almost rebellious tone.

"Of course not!!" Eggman responded in a loud voice. "The Sledge-hog Hammers were designed as decoys, just in case Sonic defeated my Quake-O-Matic, so that I could escape!"

"You mean that you planned to leave us behind all along?!" Decoe spoke with a tone of disbelief mixed with a sense of betrayal.

"Well, I…" Eggman started to say before he was interrupted.

"Doctor, how could you?!" Bocoe yelled at his uncaring master.

"But…I…I mean…" Eggman stuttered before being again interrupted.

"What kind of evil genius would abandon his creations for no reason?" Decoe played the guilt trip tactic.

"A very bad one!" Bocoe joined in.

"ARRGGGG!! OK, FINE!! Here, climb in quickly!" Eggman gave in before stopping and tossing a rope ladder down to his insurgent robotic assistants.

"What if we don't want to?" Bocoe responded while folding his arms, now unsure if he really wanted to work for a master that saw him as being so expendable.

"Then I'll leave you two to face Sonic alone!!" Eggman bellowed. He was more than a little annoyed that his most loyal robots would turn on him as he resumed his quick retreat with his prize, the transparent crystal chaos emerald.

"Wait, Doctor! He didn't mean it! Please, slow down!" Decoe shouted in a panicked voice as both robots chased after Eggman's chair again. They both grabbed the bottom rung of the trailing rope ladder as Eggman lifted off into the air.

* * *

"There he is, Tails!" Chuck spoke into his headset as Eggman's chair burst out of the forest canopy in a valley between two nearby mountains. "He's running towards the ocean!"

"Don't worry, Chuck," Tails responded. "He won't get away from me now!" Tails immediately punched the X-Tornado back to full throttle as he rolled into Eggman's tail. Without any warning what-so-ever, Tails fired his machine guns at the retreating Dr. Robotnik. However, Eggman must have seen the X-Tornado behind him as he began making quick jerks in all directions to throw off Tails' aim. Suddenly, Eggman's chair stopped completely, and, before Tails could react, the X-Tornado zoomed past the stalled Eggman. Eggman then started chasing the X-Tornado, in a complete reversal of the hunter and the hunted. As Tails attempted to shake Eggman from his tail with a series of intense aerial stunts, a voice other than Chuck's came across his headset's receiver.

"Ahh, Tails! I am so glad to see that you are feeling better! I would hate for my only true rival in mechanical genius to miss such an important event!" Eggman's voice called through Tails' speakers.

"You failed, Eggman!" Tails shouted back angrily. "You only got one emerald, and I'm going to take that away from you right now!"

"I don't think I'd be so sure if I were you, Tails," Eggman's voice replied in an alarmingly calm tone. "You are a very distinguished pilot, so you know exactly what would happen if I launched missiles at you from this close range. They would strike your precious X-Tornado before you could react and destroy it! Surrender, or else I will be forced to blow you out of the sky!"

"Just try it, Eggman!" Tails taunted the confident foe.

"Do we really want to make him mad, Tails?" Chuck's voice chimed in with another reality check.

Tails was again snapped out of his rage at his friend's voice. _Let's see. Eggman is on my six-o-clock, and, no matter what I try, I can't seem to lose him. If he does fire seeker missiles from this range, I may only have seconds to dodge them. That's not long enough! I also can't pull farther away, or Eggman will escape with the emerald. That only leaves one option, get closer!_ Tails cut all throttle in half and began a sickening barrel roll to bleed off airspeed. His maneuver was not as successful as Eggman's previous mid-air stop had been, but it now put the X-Tornado within feet of Eggman's floating chair. Tails then executed a dangerous and tricky aerial about-face, sliding the X-Tornado's nose cone tip within inches of Doctor Eggman's face, before setting the plane to hover in place. Tails could see the surprise on Eggman's face at the unsuspected and impossible maneuver as his chair suddenly stopped as well to prevent his face from being skewered by the X-Tornado's nose. He also saw two robots clinging to a rope ladder on one side of Eggman's flying chair for their dear lives.

"Impressive flying as usual, Tails!" Eggman congratulated the resourceful fox. Tails didn't even need his headset to hear Eggman's words now; they were only a few feet apart. "Heh, heh! I must admit that I have once again underestimated your ability to recover quickly. However, I think that this dogfight has come to a bit of a stalemate, so allow me to suggest a solution."

"No tricks, Eggman! Hand over the chaos emerald, and we will let you go," Chuck burst in.

"How rude to interrupt someone else's conversation, you mediocre scientist!!" Eggman's scalding rebuke made Chuck extremely angry, but Tails quieted him down quickly. "If I may continue," Eggman spoke after a pause, "Tails, it is in both of our best interests to leave now before we destroy each other, so I propose that we shake hands and part ways like gentlemen."

"What about the emerald you stole from Sonic?" Tails asked his sweet-tongued opponent. "I'm not leaving without it! Besides, the lie about the Egg Virus caused a lot of pain for a bunch of people, especially me and Sonic! I should blow you out of the sky right now for doing something so evil!!"

"I do suppose that I may have gone too far this time with the Egg Virus scheme, my admirable foxy nemesis," Eggman said in a sincere-sounding voice. "For that I offer my apologies and a present of good faith for you, Tails." Eggman reached into his pocket and removed the stolen emerald. "Here you go, Tails. I will return the emerald to you, fair-and-square."

Tails stared at Eggman in shock as he held out the stolen chaos emerald to return it. _This has to be a trick,_ he thought. _Still, Eggman did apologize, and I know that he can be honorable, even if he's tricky most of the time._

"Tails! Don't do it!" Chuck shouted across the fox's headset. "It has to be a trap. Why would he give the emerald back after all the trouble he went through just to get it?"

"I know it's a trap, Chuck," Tails answered his friend's concerned plea. "But, do I really have a choice right now? I can't just refuse to take the emerald from him! We need to get it back somehow, and this looks like the easiest way to me." Tails switched control of the X-Tornado over to Chuck in the second cockpit while he opened his canopy and flew out using his tails. He slowly hovered closer to Eggman as he continued to hold out the emerald towards the e-vac Tails.

"Well, Tails? Do you want this emerald back or not?" Eggman goaded on the overly cautious fox.

Tails finally flew up to Eggman and took the emerald from his open palm. He had expected a trap, or some kind of resistance, but Eggman didn't move a muscle as Tails quickly reentered the X-Tornado's forward cockpit with the chaos emerald in tow.

"There now, was that so hard?" Eggman spoke after Tails was again seated in the X-Tornado. "You see, Tails, I'm not as untrustworthy as you might expect! Now, I trust that you will honor our agreement and let me go now."

"Fine, you're free to go, Eggman," Tails spoke into his headset microphone as he took control of the X-Tornado and flew away in search of Sonic and Knuckles.

After the X-Tornado had flown a good distance away, Bocoe and Decoe, who had used the calm of the standoff to climb up the rope ladder and into the back of Eggman's chair, stared at their master in disbelief. "After all that work, you just gave the emerald back to them, Doctor?!" Bocoe inquired dumbfounded.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!! Of course not you fools! The emerald that Tails has now is just a decoy, and I think that he will get quite a blast from it when he finds out in a few minutes! Whoo ho ho ho ho hooo!" Eggman spoke while a large toothy grin spread across his face.

"You mean, it was a bomb?!" Decoe shouted out at the realization of what his master had done.

"Yes, the real emerald is right here!" Eggman replied before removing the real crystal clear chaos emerald from its hiding place in his other pocket.

"You are a genius, Doctor!" Decoe shouted with glee.

"Indeed, you sure pulled the fur over that fox's eyes!" Bocoe added.

"Yes, yes, I know! Now let's get out of here before our little friends figure out my clever trick!" Eggman immediately punched the throttle to full and made for the safety of the ocean and his impenetrable secret underwater base.

* * *

Tails finally spotted Sonic on a nearby mountaintop and transformed the X-Tornado into the X-Cyclone walker mode to land next to the dozing hedgehog. No sooner had he touched down, then Tails popped the hatch to his cockpit canopy and jumped to the ground. He quickly dashed over to Sonic as he held out the lost emerald he had recovered from Eggman in his hands. "Hey, Sonic! Guess what!" Tails spoke out with a grin across his face.

"Hey there, little buddy! What cha' got there?" Sonic asked his incredibly cheerful friend. "Wow! No way! You managed to get the last emerald back from Eggman?!" Sonic stared in disbelief at the object that Tails was holding.

"Yep! It was no sweat, Sonic! Eggman even apologized for the Egg Virus trick himself!!" Tails blurted out, ecstatic that he had impressed his big brother. "Hey, where's Knuckles?" Tails had just noticed that the red echidna was no longer with the blue hedgehog.

"He had to split," Sonic informed the inquisitive Tails. "But, nice work on getting the emerald back, buddy!"

"Hold on, guys," Chuck said as he walked up. "Let me see that emerald really quick, Tails. Something about this whole thing seems wrong to me." Chuck grabbed the clear chaos emerald in one hand and proceeded to investigate it closely. "As I suspected, this emerald appears to be a fake!"

"What?!" Tails shouted. "Eggman must have the real emerald still!" Tails' face sagged as he realized what a fool he'd been to trust Eggman at all. "I guess he tricked me again." He kicked his foot at the ground in disappointment as a cloud of dust scattered from the impact.

"Don't worry, little bro," Sonic said in a condoling voice, "Everyone makes mistakes. Besides, it's all because of you that Eggman didn't get all six anyway!"

"Thanks, Sonic," Tails replied to the kind words with a slight sniffle. In the short pause of the conversation that followed, Tails' sensitive ears picked up a faint sound. At first, he thought that he was hearing things until he identified the source as the fake chaos emerald. Leaning closer, Tail heard the very distinct sound of faint electronic beeping from inside the emerald. As Tails wondered what the noise might mean, the beeping suddenly accelerated to a faster tempo. "Oh No! Quick, Chuck, give me the emerald fast!!" Tails kicked off the ground with his feet and snatched the emerald during his takeoff. He flew as fast as his tails could go as he reached the edge of the mountain that they were standing on and tossed the fake emerald over the side. No sooner had the emerald begun to drop out of sight when a large explosion blasted the false crystal to pieces.

"Wow, Tails!" a stunned Chuck remarked as he saw the fake emerald self-destruct. "I think you just saved my life!"

"No," Sonic interjected, "He just saved both of our lives!"

"Awww, come on, guys! I didn't do anything special! I just heard the bomb inside the fake emerald and tossed it over the cliff." Tails had never been very good at receiving praise himself; he usually preferred to give it to others instead.

"That was still pretty brave, bro!" Sonic complemented his heroic partner.

"By the way, Sonic…" Chuck broke in after a slight pause following Sonic's last statement.

"I know, Chuck," Sonic interrupted Chuck's apology. "Go ahead and say 'I told you so.' I deserve it."

"No, Sonic," Chuck quickly corrected the hedgehog's assumption of what he was about to say. "What I wanted to say is that I was very sorry for anything that I said earlier that may have upset you. I know that you care for Tails more than anybody, and I understand why you stole the chaos emeralds. I would have done the same if I had been in your shoes."

"Hey, don't sweat it, Chuck!" Sonic instantly responded. "I wasn't thinkin' straight, and I didn't even stop to wonder if what I was doing was the right thing to do or not. You really do care for my little bro a lot, and I guess I kinda' forgot about that for a while, too." Sonic, never much for mushy emotional discussions, immediately dismissed the conversation with a quick joke, "Besides, Chuck, you would never fit in my shoes. They're way too big for your feet!" The threesome all burst into laughter at Sonic's comical relief.

"So other than Eggman getting away with one of our chaos emeralds, everything turned out fine," Tails exclaimed, relieved that his two best friends had made up again.

"Better than that, little bro! You are healthy again!" Sonic said as he pumped his fists in joy. "I say that this calls for a party when we get back home!!"

"I agree!" Chuck shouted in glee. "As a matter of fact, Ella is already cooking a celebration dinner as we speak."

"Sounds good to me!" Tails cheered as everyone boarded the X-Tornado again, and they took off towards Station Square and a well earned celebration.

* * *

A Short Afterword: Well, there you have it! Not a half bad story, was it? Tails has fully recovered, Eggman's evil scheme has been foiled, and Chuck and Sonic have made up. The perfect happy ending! Wait, what's that? You say you want to know what happened to Rouge? Oh, and I suppose you also want to know what any of this had to do with Tails' mutations, too, Hmmm? Well, then I highly recommend you keep reading because this story isn't even half over yet! See ya next time! ;)


	10. Chapter 9: Mystery Diagnosis

Lethal Mutation

OK, I'm sorry that I posted this chapter so late, but you would not believe how busy I was today! Not to mention that my account was messed up somehow earlier so that I couldn't even log in to work on uploading this chapter until now. This chapter doesn't have two parts, but it's still quite a doozy. I probably won't post the next chapter tomorrow because very few of you will get to read this one tonight. (Unless you're like me and live off of five or less hours of sleep a night!) Ooops, almost forgot! Thank you very much to Drandu, Zachary W, Asher Tye, Nicend, Rae Logan, cari, and Shika Kev Prower for their reviews of my last chapter! I seriously check my e-mail almost constantly because I love to hear from you guys!

Enough about me, though. Last chapter was a big showdown that finally answered a lot of the smaller questions that had built up over the first part of my story. This chapter starts another gradual build up of stray facts and incidents that will ultimately lead our furry little hero to his biggest realization yet! For all of you that have wondered when all of this would start to make sense with the story's title and summary, the time is coming soon! Pay close attention to what is happening in the aftermath of Eggman's failed scheme, but don't totally dismiss the events that happened earlier yet, either. But most importantly, enjoy the humor and have fun reading as the chapters get rather long from here on out! (Just more of the story to love. Oh, yeah!)

Chapter 9: Mystery Diagnosis

The rest of the week went quickly after the events of that Tuesday afternoon. It was now Friday as our yellow furred hero tinkered away in his remote workshop in the Mystic Ruins...

It had been a few days now since Eggman's failed trap to trick Sonic into giving him most of the chaos emeralds. Tails had really enjoyed the party that everyone had thrown him after they came back from last Tuesday's debacle. The news, which heard about the events at Devil's Bluff somehow, had later interviewed the entire Thorndike household and had hailed Tails as a hero throughout Station Square. _I guess I do deserve it, though,_ Tails pondered. _I made a miraculous recovery from a previously unknown disease, foiled Eggman's most dastardly plan to date, and saved the lives of Chuck and Sonic, all in the same day!_ _Even so, people don't need to treat me so special now._ Tails had been hounded by reporters, paparazzi, and mobs of adoring fans all week long after the story of his tragic drama was broadcast throughout Station Square. As a matter of fact, that was the reason Tails was in his private workshop in the Mystic Ruins right now. He preferred living in Chris's house with the others, but the mob of people wanting to see him always threatened to lay siege to the mansion when they knew that he was there. So, he had flown the X-Tornado back to his private workshop and stayed there for a few days until the frenzy died down.

Right now, Tails was hard at work tinkering with the X-Tornado's power system. He had come up with an ingenious idea to boost the X-Tornado's performance and speed by hooking up a second emerald to supply additional power. At first it had seemed too dangerous because one chaos emerald had always been as much as the engine could handle, but, with a few tweaks and some new added features to eat up the excess energy, Tails was confident that the new and improved X-Tornado would work perfectly. As a matter of fact, Tails thought that after he perfected his new energy system, the X-Tornado might even be able to travel into outer space with a few more modifications. He was lying on a rolling vehicle maintenance mat underneath the large rear engine when a sudden voice startled him.

"Heya, little bro! What cha' up to?" Sonic had come in unannounced, and Tails had been caught completely off guard.

"Aaah!" Tails shouted in surprise. He quickly tried to jump to his feet by impulse, but forgot that he was still lying underneath the X-Tornado and banged his head hard against the metal housing for the engine. "OOWWW!!" Tails shouted as the pain from head butting the X-Tornado's underside gave him an instant headache. Now injured as well as thoroughly embarrassed, he slowly rolled his mat out from under the massive engine housing with a hand pressed against his forehead to dull the pain. As he finally stood up to confront his unexpected guest, Tails saw Sonic the hedgehog rolling on the floor in laughter as he pointed towards him as the source of his merriment. "What's so funny?!" Tails addressed his rude intruder.

Sonic stopped laughing gradually as he slowly stood back up and looked at Tails. The fox was covered in grime, no doubt some kind of lubricant, and had one hand now clutched tightly to a developing bump on his dirty forehead. His twin tails were the grimiest part of his body as Tails tended to use them as rags during his maintenance work to clean his hands of excess grease. "Man, Tails! You really need a shower, buddy!" Sonic mentioned to his filthy little brother.

"Huh?" Tails was puzzled by the hedgehog's remark until he looked down at his own hands and chest. His white gloves were almost completely black, and the white fur that covered his chest was stained a greasy brown. "Whoa! I guess I must have been working under there for quite a while, heh," Tails offered an excuse for his messy appearance.

"You better wash up, bro. I came to tell you that Chuck needs you back at the house, ASAP," Sonic delivered his message to the grungy fox. "He says that he has a guest who needs to meet with you, but he is a very busy guy and can't stay long. So, you better hurry!"

"Oh No!" Tails blurted out as the urgent summons was received. "It could take me an hour to wash all of this grease off me, Sonic! And, Chuck's guest sounds pretty important! I can't show up like this!!"

"Don't sweat it, little bro," Sonic replied to the panicked fox. "I'll juice on back to the mansion and tell them that you might be a little bit late. Just don't take too long!" As quickly as he had appeared, Sonic vanished in a blue streak of light leading out the open door and into town.

Tails quickly ran to his secret workshop's living quarters and dashed into the sole bathroom's shower. He began to rinse himself with water as he slathered shampoo over his whole body to help the adhesive grease free itself from his fur. His two tails took an especially long time to get clean. Being mostly fur, trying to remove the greasy substance from them was like trying to wash and squeeze all the suds out of a sponge. _If I was a normal Mobian fox, I would only have one of these things to have to deal with,_ he thought while finishing one of his tails, only to realize that the other one would take an equal amount of time as well. At last, Tails managed to clean his whole body from the filth of his long mechanical labor. He checked his wristwatch to see how long he had taken. _Almost half an hour! Oh, man! I am really going to be late!_ Tails dashed into the X-Tornado's cockpit and took off for Station Square, without even going through his pre-flight checklist as he usually did.

* * *

Tails made it to the Thorndike mansion in record time and wasted no time in landing the X-Tornado on the long driveway that now doubled as a runway. He almost crashed a couple of times as he descended towards the ground because, in his haste, he had forgotten to activate the special rotating panels that tilted the palm trees away from the road. Upon taxiing up to the Thorndike's garage, Tails immediately jumped out of the cockpit before the engines had even died. He looked around to see if anyone was waiting to greet him and saw Mr. Tanaka standing on the edge of the driveway between him and the garage.

"Greetings, Master Tails. We have been expecting you for some time now. Are you now decent?" Mr. Tanaka addressed the rushed fox.

"Yes, Mr. Tanaka," Tails answered the unexpected question. _I wonder how much Sonic told him about how dirty I was a few minutes ago? Well, at least Sonic didn't have a camera!_ "I'm ready to meet with Chuck and his friend, now."

"Very well then, Master Tails," Mr. Tanaka continued doing his duty. "Mr. Thorndike and his distinguished guest are in the underground lab right now awaiting your arrival."

"The lab?!" Tails blurted out in shock. "Why would Chuck invite a stranger into our secret, underground lab?" Tails asked the knowledgeable butler.

"Mr. Thorndike's guest is a fellow scientist who has shown interest in his experiments, so Mr. Thorndike decided to give him a brief tour of the facility as they awaited your arrival," Mr. Tanaka explained to Tails before turning on his heels and walking towards the house.

Tails took this as his cue to go find Chuck and his visitor. He quickly went into the garage and entered the elevator to the secret, underground lab. As the doors of the elevator opened at last upon arrival, Tails saw Chuck talking to a very familiar-looking man as they sat in armchairs in the small recreational corner of the lab. The mysterious man and Chuck were chatting over cups of what Tails guessed was tea, but they both turned now to face the tardy fox as he walked across the lab floor towards them. That was when Tails finally recognized the man's face. "Mr. Steward?!" Tails inquired out of shock.

"I beg your pardon, but were you attempting to address me?" the stranger asked the dumbfounded Tails.

"Wait," Tails spoke in a noticeably confused voice, "You're not Mr. Steward, Chris's school teacher? You look exactly like him!"

The unknown man seemed to cringe slightly at this accusation but quickly acted as if he had never heard the name before. "This Mr. Steward fellow must look very much like me! This has to be at least the fourth time someone in this household has confused me for him since I arrived." The mystery man did indeed look like Mr. Steward in every way except that he wore a fancy suit with no tie, had a large moustache, and talked with a slight British accent that almost sounded wrong. "I am very sorry. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Arnold Strunecker from the Institute for Medical and Biological Sciences in Station Square. And you must be the famous Miles Prower?" the scholarly gentleman identified himself and Tails.

"That's me! Except, I prefer to go by my nickname, Tails," the young fox corrected Chuck's guest.

"Oh, and why is that, if I may ask?" the mysterious professor asked Tails.

"I just don't like my real name very much because it sounds like a joke," Tails gave a rehearsed response. "You know, how Miles Prower sounds a lot like miles-per-hour."

"Very well then, Tails," the man was quick to use Tails' preferred name instead of his real one at the fox's request. "I understand that something kept you from arriving on time earlier. I am sure that you realize that I am a very busy individual, but I won't hold your tardiness against you if you agree to tell me what caused you to be so late," Professor Strunecker said in a tone that suggested that he was not a person that was commonly kept waiting.

"I'm very sorry that it took so long for me to get here," Tails immediately apologized to the important visitor. "I had been working on my plane, the X-Tornado, for a while when I got Chuck's message, so I was kinda' dirty and had to take a shower before coming over here."

"We understand, Tails," Chuck answered for both him and his guest. "Hey, what happened to your head, Tails?" Chuck had just noticed the large knot on the fox's forehead that looked like it must be extremely painful.

"Huh? Oh yeah, that!" Tails recalled his accident earlier. "I hit my head pretty hard because Sonic scared me while I was lying under the X-Tornado's engine."

"Ouch! That bump does look a bit nasty," the professor cut in. "Anyhow, I suppose that you are wondering what I needed to summon you for on such short notice, so I will cut to the chase. I have been sent out by the IMBS to get vital information on your unfortunate malady earlier this week. Since you have had the only recorded case of the Mobian Flu in known history, it is important for us to gather all the information we can to help treat future cases like yours. If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions about your experience. Please feel free to object to any questions that you think are too personal or you otherwise may not wish to answer."

Chuck saw Tails stare at him as the professor finished his introduction. "Don't worry, Tails," he reassured his buddy, "I already told him all the technical stuff and everything else that happened concerning the Egg Virus scandal. He just needs to ask you a few questions on what you felt while you were sick."

"OK, sure," Tails accepted as he sat in a third armchair directly across from Chuck and the Mr. Steward look-a-like.

"Splendid! Now, first off. Chuck has informed me that your case of the Mobian Flu was particularly bad, possibly life-threatening?" asked the professor as he removed a pen and notepad from his coat pocket.

"Well, I'm not sure how bad it really was from my perspective," Tails said, disappointed at the uselessness of his truthful answer. "I had never been sick before until a few days ago, so I have nothing to compare it to. However, Mrs. Vanilla, Cream's mother, had said at one point that I was running a dangerously high fever and was forced to send Sonic to get me some medicine quickly."

"Yes, that's exactly what Mrs. Vanilla told me when I spoke to her a few minutes ago. Also, I understand that current research seems to show that the Mobian Flu is spread through bodily fluids and that Mrs. Vanilla and a Miss Ella were your primary caretakers. Now, Miss Ella may not be at risk because she is a human, but, to be on the safe side, have either of them shown signs recently of possibly contracting Tails' disease?" the researcher now turned towards Chuck for the answer.

"Nope. They were both very thorough in cleaning Tails' messes and keeping everything germ-free, including themselves." Chuck had been carefully monitoring everyone in the house for the last few days to make sure that Tails had not unknowingly infected anyone else. He had been relieved that not a single person had so much as sneezed after Tails had recovered.

"Wonderful! It's good to know that some people still understand how to keep themselves healthy while tending to a sick person at the same time." The mysterious professor seemed glad to hear that an epidemic was not breaking out from this new strain of influenza. "But, I digress. Now, Tails, can you list for me all the symptoms that you can remember feeling while you were sick? I want to check them against other testimonies your friends have given and get your perspective on the severity of each symptom."

"Sure thing, Professor…Umm…." Tails tried to remember the man's unpronounceable name.

"Strunecker. But you can just call me Dr. Arnold, Tails," the scholarly man informed the fox.

"OK, Dr. Arnold. Let's see, I remember having a high fever, or at least I think that's what it means when someone's forehead is hot enough to melt an icepack in a couple of minutes. I also coughed and sneezed a lot. Plus, I had a runny nose, upset stomach, and sometimes couldn't breathe. I always felt tired but couldn't sleep, and I threw up a few times." Tails' stomach churned slightly at the memory of his frequent upsets, especially the worst one that had happened when Bokkun had just left, and everyone had been staring at him as he got sick in the bucket.

"Anything else that you felt might have been a symptom caused by your sickness?" Dr. Arnold double checked for the sake of being thorough.

"Actually, I did feel a sharp pain in my chest once or twice over the two days that I was in bed, but I thought that it was related to my constant coughing," Tails confessed the seemingly trivial detail.

"You never told me about that, Tails!" Chuck interrupted in slight agitation that Tails had still been hiding some of his suffering from him even when he was sick.

"Please, Chuck! I don't think that Tails considered it serious enough to warrant needing to tell you under the circumstances," the professor soothed the flustered scientist. "Still, it is a very odd symptom to be associated with any kind of flu virus. Are you sure that you felt a sharp pain in your chest, Tails?" Dr. Arnold inquired.

"Yeah, it felt like a dagger had stabbed me in the chest, and the pain would get so bad that I couldn't breathe. But, it always went away after a few seconds, and it only happened a couple of times," Tails went into more detail. "Why does it matter?"

"Let me ask this, Tails. Do you or have you ever had any kind of heart troubles?" the medical professional asked to rule out the likely suspects.

"No, I have always been perfectly healthy," Tails quickly responded proudly.

"Could this have anything to do with the Egg Virus?" Mr. Steward's seemingly twin brother asked.

"It can't be," Chuck answered first. "The Egg Virus was a complete fake made by Doctor Eggman to force us to give him the chaos emeralds. None of what Eggman said about his manufactured disease has been proven to be true. He even lied about staying at the same resort as we did on the trip in which Tails caught his disease. I checked the guests' manifest myself a day ago, and nobody even resembling Eggman or his goons had been checked in during that weekend. Eggman must have just gotten lucky to find Sonic and Tails with the new emerald on the mountain that day."

"Interesting. Well, since the Egg Virus clearly never existed, it can't explain this anomalous symptom. Tails, have you ever felt this pain again after you recovered?" Dr. Arnold questioned the fox in search of an explanation to the mysterious pain.

"Actually, now that I think about it, I may have!" Tails blurted out, just as surprised as the other men at his answer. "The other day, while I was working on the X-Tornado in my hidden workshop, I suddenly felt a similar strong pain in my chest. I thought that it was just a cramp from working too long without a break."

"Very odd," the professor commented on Tails' lingering symptom. "It probably was just bad cramps on every account. Anything from lying in bed too long, to working too hard, and even needing to go to the bathroom could have caused these sharp chest pains you felt, Tails. Still, it is a curious symptom that I will make a note of for comparison with future cases."

"I bet that Tails is just constipated," Chuck slipped in under his breath.

"Hey, that's not funny, Chuck!" Tails shot back as he heard the unnecessary comment. He didn't appreciate being humiliated in front of such an important stranger.

"It still could be true, Tails!" Chuck half-joked back at the young fox.

"It's possible," Dr. Arnold agreed as he pocketed his pen and notepad. "Well now, I am sorry to have to run so soon, but I must return to work to finish my other duties. So long to you both, Chuck and Tails!" he addressed his hosts by their common names. Then the strikingly similar clone of Mr. Steward walked over to the elevator and rode it to the garage above.

* * *

He kept his composure until he pulled out of the Thorndike's driveway in his car. _Those fools at headquarters really messed up this time! I told them that everyone at the Thorndike's house would recognize me, even in my disguise._ As he merged into the traffic on the highway, the secret agent peeled off his large, fake moustache. Now that his only questionable feature was gone, his face again looked exactly like Mr. Steward's. _It was just my luck that Chris saw me come in and almost blew my cover. If it hadn't of been for Chuck showing me to his secret lab, I would probably have been discovered._ Mr. Steward, or at least this government spy's preferred alias, breathed a sigh of relief at having completed a very poorly organized mission that had been forced on him from the powers-that-be. The President and his cabinet had gone into a frenzy once they had heard about Tails' story and the Egg Virus. Although almost every source pointed towards the Egg Virus as being a cruel joke invented by Eggman to trick Sonic, just the thought of that evil genius using any sort of biological weapon was enough to worry the nation's leaders to death. So they had sent him in under an assumed name, backed by a credible institution, to get the whole truth straight from the horse's mouth, or, in this case, the fox's mouth. Mr. Steward reached down with one finger to activate the two-way receiver built into his wristwatch.

"This is Antibody calling White Blood Cell. Please respond White Blood Cell," he spoke into the tiny microphone built into the watch. There was a long pause before a voice came over the tiny speakers.

"Who is this? This is a restricted frequency. Please stop broadcasting on this channel, or you will be arrested by the U.S. government!" an angry officer's voice responded.

"I have authorization from the President to use this frequency! I am codename Antibody calling White Blood Cell with a mission report!" Mr. Steward raised his voice at the rude operator.

"You are who?!" the obviously uninformed operator asked in astonishment.

"This is Antibody. I have an urgent report for headquarters!" Mr. Steward repeated himself to the infuriating man on the other end of the line.

"I don't know anything about any "Antibody" buddy! You have about two seconds to identify yourself before I report this to the Feds!" shouted the operator's voice through the speakers. He seemed to have been left out of the loop on Mr. Steward's newest mission and probably thought that he was being played with by some random person on a ham radio set.

"Oh, for pete's sake! This is Chalkboard Charlie! I need to talk to Homeroom right away!" Mr. Steward said as he gave up on his new call signs and instead used the ones for his alias as Chris's school teacher and personal shadow.

"Oh! Well why didn't you just say so?! Hang on Charlie; I'll put you through to HQ," the man finally recognized the caller and promptly transferred his transmission to the phone in his boss's office.

"Charlie, this is Homeroom, over," came a very authoritarian voice after a few seconds delay. "Why didn't you use your provided codename for this mission? You were supposed to be codename "Antibody", Dr. Strunecker." The boss's voice sounded agitated at the blatant breach in protocol.

"My apologies, White Blood Cell, but someone should have informed the operator of the change in call signs!" Mr. Steward spoke in a voice that betrayed his agitation at the uncooperative man that was in charge of answering all calls that he sent to headquarters. "I have completed my assignment and have good news to report. The Egg Virus threat is non-existent. I repeat, I can confirm the Egg Virus as a complete lie made by Doctor Eggman to trick Sonic and his friends. The subject has recovered completely, despite minor lingering symptoms, from a bad case of the Mobian Flu and no other cases have been reported."

"Very well done, agent Antibody," the voice responded in a now pleased tone. "This news will be very welcome to the President. Good work, HQ out." The speakers transmitted static after the last sentence, signaling the end of his connection.

* * *

Tails had spent the rest of the afternoon with Chuck after the mysterious Dr. Arnold had left. He was very eager to show his new improvements on the X-Tornado to his partner. Chuck had been very impressed at what Tails had accomplished in a few short days. They discussed all manners of new additions that they could make to use up the extra energy from the dual emeralds. Tails told Chuck his idea for an emerald-powered ion-drive engine that would allow the X-Tornado to fly in space. Eventually, they decided that the one other thing the X-Tornado needed more of was weaponry. Its speed and agility were now unparalleled, but it needed more armament to be of any use against Eggman's robots on its own. Tails was working on a sketchpad, in the process of designing a forward-mounted laser cannon that would be hidden in the X-Tornado's nose cone, while he sat on the wide sofa in the Thorndike's living room.

Cream and Cheese were also in the living room. They were dancing in front of the TV as they watched their favorite show. The show featured a large, hairy, purple monster as the star that would lead the young viewers in a dance party during the entire show's length. It was very childish, but Cream and Cheese were just about the right age for such things and enjoyed dancing along with the fuzzy, purple mascot. "Hey, Tails," Cream suddenly called out to the busy fox, "Do you want to dance with us?"

"Chao!" Cheese spoke up in a tone that meant that Cream had had a wonderful idea.

"No thanks, Cream," Tails declined without even lifting his head from his work. "I really don't feel like dancing right now."

"Is it because you think that you would look dumb?" Cream questioned the fox with a hint of hurt in her voice.

"No, that's not it! I am just pretty busy right now." Tails hadn't declined because he thought that dancing with the bunny and chao would be embarrassing; on the contrary, Tails actually enjoyed dancing with those two every now and then. "Plus, I think I'm getting a headache anyway."

"Chao?" Cheese spoke with a quizzical expression on its face. It had noticed Tails set down his sketchpad and put a hand on his forehead as his head began to throb again. The little chao, sensing that something was wrong with the fox, hovered over to his side and touched its short, stubby hand to Tails' noggin.

"No, Cheese! Tails isn't sick again; his head just hurts," Cream corrected her chao friend. She had figured that Cheese was trying to check Tails' forehead for a fever by mistake.

"Yeah, I must have bumped my head really hard on the X-Tornado earlier," Tails recalled his previous injury that was the probable culprit for his current pain. "I'll be fine you guys. Don't stop dancing because of me."

"OK, Tails! If your head stops hurting, maybe you can dance with us!" Cream stated before resuming her dancing after the commercial break had passed. A few minutes passed by as she danced alone undisturbed.

"Chao! Chao!" Cheese suddenly interrupted in an alarmed voice.

"What's the matter, Cheese? Don't you want to dance with me, too?" Cream asked as she turned to locate her chao companion. She found Cheese still floating next to Tails as the fox unexpectedly slumped over in the coach and began twitching uncontrollably. Cream was scared by the strange actions and thought that it was some sort of prank at first. "Tails! I don't like that dance! It's scary!" Cream shouted as she noticed that the fox's eyes had turned completely white and that he seemed to have no control over his spasing body.

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese agreed in a frightened tone as he hovered in front of Tails open eyelids. The uncontrollable fox seemed to be totally unresponsive and just kept shaking.

"Somebody, HELP!!" Cream shouted when she finally realized that something was very wrong with Tails. All over the house, footsteps were heard as every resident in the mansion dashed towards the room as quickly as possible. Naturally, Sonic arrived first only a split second after Cream's panicked scream.

"What's goin' on here?!" Sonic shouted as he burst into the room and observed his brother twitching uncontrollably on the sofa. Then, as quickly as it had started, Tails stopped moving and slowly sat up.

Tails blinked his eyes a couple of times to clear his vision as he saw Sonic, Cream, and Cheese staring at him from across the room in front of the TV. Just then, the rest of the household barged into the room all at once, prepared to go to war with one of Eggman's robots. Amy had her Piko Piko Hammer at the ready, Ella was armed with a frying pan, Chris clutched a baseball bat, Chuck came with an acetylene torch lit, and Mr. Tanaka was in a fighting pose from some kind of martial arts. Upon seeing everyone all geared up for war, Tails wondered what was going on. "Are we under attack or something?" he questioned the room's occupants.

"Yeah! What's going on in here, Cream? We thought that Eggman was kidnapping you or something!" Amy blurted out, aggravated at the false alarm.

"No, I'm fine, Amy! But, Tails is the one who made me scream," Cream began to explain.

"Master Tails! You should be ashamed of yourself to scare Miss Cream so! A true gentleman does not play cruel pranks on little girls!" Mr. Tanaka rebuked Tails after jumping to the incorrect conclusion.

"Wait! I haven't done anything, I swear!" Tails shouted to the now hostile, and still armed, crowd as he tried to remember exactly what he had done in the last few seconds.

"Sure you haven't! And I suppose Cream and Cheese are scared to death for no reason, too!!" Amy shot off towards Tails as she defended her younger charges. If Amy hated one thing, it was a bully, and if anyone wanted to pick on Cream or Cheese, they had to go through her first.

"Hold on, guys!" Sonic suddenly broke in. "Look, I got here before everyone else did, and I think that there is more to the story than Cream has said already." Sonic's voice of sanity calmed everyone down from their fox hunting frenzy.

"That's right!" Cream continued. "Tails scared me because he was acting funny all of a sudden! He fell over and started shaking out of control for a little while. Oh! And his eyes were all weird, too. Show them, Cheese!" Cream asked her chao friend to demonstrate.

"Chao," Cheese acknowledged before grabbing the bottom of its eyelids and rolling its eyes back into its head so only the whites of the eyeballs were showing.

"Oh, my!" Vanilla exclaimed at the ghoulish sight.

"I don't remember doing that!" Tails quickly interceded on his own behalf.

"What do you remember doing last, Tails?" Chuck asked the puzzled fox.

"Well, I was getting a huge headache when everything started turning black, and I can't remember anything that I've done until just now." Tails described the worrisome situation.

"Wow! That sounds exactly like a seizure!" Christopher Thorndike attempted to name the strange occurrence.

"What is a seizure?" Cream quickly asked Chris about the new word.

"Well, I have a friend in my class who says that he sometimes used to get things he called seizures. He said that when one came he would shake uncontrollably, his eyes would roll back into his head, and he wouldn't ever remember what had happened," Chris explained to everyone in the room.

"That's right, Chris," Chuck congratulated his grandson's astute diagnosis. "I believe that Tails has just had a mild seizure."

"Mild?! You mean that they can get worse?" Ella asked the scientist in a worried tone.

"Indeed. Tails has just experienced a moderate seizure that lasted a very short time. Sometimes a seizure can last for minutes and the victim can shake so hard that they injure themselves, but these are very rare," Chuck explained further.

"But, my friend said that he had some kind of disease or something that made him have seizures a lot. Does Tails have that same disease?" Chris added.

"You're talking about epilepsy, Chris, but, no, Tails doesn't have that disease, I think. Has this ever happened before, Tails?" Chuck questioned the unfortunate fox.

"No, I have never felt anything like that before in my life!" Tails quickly answered. Then, his head began pounding again as his headache from earlier continued. "Owww…" Tails audibly groaned.

"What's wrong now, little bro?" Sonic asked as he noticed the fox's discomfort.

"Oh, it's just my head hurts really bad from accidentally banging it on the X-Tornado earlier," Tails replied.

"That might be our answer to why Master Tails had his seizure a minute ago," Mr. Tanaka connected the dots before everyone else.

"What do you mean, Mr. Tanaka?" Amy inquired the cryptic butler. "How could banging your head cause a seizure hours later?"

"What Mr. Tanaka probably is referring to is the possibility that Tails hit his head hard enough to get a concussion," Chuck decided to field this question.

"Precisely, Mr. Thorndike," Mr. Tanaka confirmed Chuck's answer.

"A concussion? But aren't those really bad?" Cream again asked about the word she had only heard once before, and not in a good way either.

"They can be, sweetie," Vanilla gave her daughter a comforting answer, "But, Tails probably doesn't have a really bad one. He only banged his head. Most people who get concussions fell on their head from a really high spot or they were going really fast when they hit something."

"Humph! Well then I guess it's a wonder that Sonic hasn't had one yet!" Amy taunted her careless boyfriend.

"I guess I'm just too hard headed," Sonic responded with an excuse to the pink hedgehog's verbal concern.

"That's the truth!" Chris interjected as most of the people in the room laughed at the joke.

"But anyway," Chuck added, "Concussions have been known to lead to seizures occasionally if not treated, and, judging by the size of that goose egg on his forehead, a concussion is more than possible for Tails to have now. I think that you should stay here tonight, Tails, until we can be sure that you are OK to fly again." The last thing Chuck wanted to see was Tails going into convulsions when he was flying the X-Tornado at supersonic speeds all alone.

"That's fine, Chuck," Tails accepted the invitation.

"Let me see if I can find you some medicine for your headache, Tails," Ella said as she left the room.

"I will make sure that your things are brought to your room, Master Tails," Mr. Tanaka volunteered before disappearing also. Everyone else slowly filed out of the Thorndike's living room after the retreating butler and maid. Sonic, Tails, and Chuck remained in the room for a brief while after everyone left.

"I'm really sorry for giving you a concussion, buddy," Sonic apologized to Tails. He had come to the conclusion that if he hadn't of scared his little bro earlier in his workshop, Tails would never have hit his head hard enough to get a concussion. Now, he felt really bad about having laughed at Tails when he had banged his head into the X-Tornado.

"Don't worry, Sonic. It was me who hit my head so hard when you scared me. I should have remembered where I was before I tried to stand up," Tails took the blame for the mishap.

"OK, little buddy, but I still feel bad for scaring you in the first place," Sonic refused to let Tails take all the blame.

"You know, Tails," Chuck chimed in after a brief pause, "This whole week or so you have been in more accidents and had more problems with your health than I have ever seen anyone have before in my entire life. Maybe you are not the legendary good luck charm that Mr. Tanaka claims you are supposed to be. I wonder if the Japanese have any stories about unlucky, clumsy, two-tailed kitsunes that you could relate to!" Chuck joked to relieve the stress of today's excitement.

"I guess I have had some pretty rotten luck recently!" Tails agreed as all three of them laughed.

"Maybe we should find Lucky and make him follow you around for a while until your luck turns for the better!" Sonic suggested the preposterous, yet practical, solution.

"Anything but that!" Tails responded as he did his impression of the clumsy, unattractive robot. They all laughed again as Tails pretended to slip on a banana peel only to land on a soft cushion instead of the hard floor.

* * *

_Eggy sure has been scarce lately, _Rouge reflected as she crawled through the inner ductworks that served to transport fresh air throughout Eggman's secret underwater base. _He came back with a chaos emerald a few days ago, but then he took off in a rocket to someplace else the very next day. I hadn't even seen hide-or-hair of that fatso until he showed up again a few minutes ago._ Rouge had been unable to extract any information on Eggman's newest scheme while the evil doctor was away. Now that he had returned, she snuck around in the ventilation shafts to keep a wary eye on Eggman's daily activities. She followed his movements throughout the base using brief glimpses from the grating along the way to judge the not-so-good Doctor's path. _Where is Eggman going?_ Rouge thought as she realized that she had been following the obese Doctor for quite a while. Finally, she saw him enter the door to his secret underwater base's control room. She had already found out before now that the ventilation shaft ahead of her was guarded by an impenetrable wall of infrared laser sensors, so Rouge was forced to halt just feet away from her objective.

_You won't lose me this easily, Eggy! _Rouge wanted to say out loud. Like any good secret agent, she knew the usefulness of small spy gadgets, and she now removed a tiny microphone device from her pouch hidden inside the heart shaped emblem covering her breast. The device was incredibly simple, yet elegant in its ease of use. It was essentially a tiny, super-sensitive microphone surrounded by an adhesive bubble so that it would stick to any surface that it was thrown onto. Rouge donned a pair of infrared goggles to spot a gap through the lasers that she could hurl the device. She spotted the perfect trajectory and tossed the mini microphone safely onto the wall of the shaft directly next to an open vent into the control room below. "Bingo!" she softly congratulated herself on the expert pitch. Quickly, she attached an earpiece to her right ear that would convey everything the mini microphone heard straight into it via a short bandwidth connection that would be impossible to intercept.

"How was your trip, Doctor?" Rouge heard Bocoe ask the newly arrived Eggman.

"Terrible! My Egg Rocket that took me to Space Colony Ark malfunctioned and almost crashed into the infernal space station with me in it!! It took me hours to fix it once I docked, and it took even longer for me to disassemble the Eclipse Cannon!" Eggman responded in a very irritated voice.

_What?! Did he just say the Eclipse Cannon?!_ Rouge had been suddenly alarmed by the mention of the doomsday laser that had almost destroyed the world in Eggman's hands not too long ago. _Last time Eggy got his hands on that laser, he blew up half of the moon! Then he rebuilt it later with a bunch of his mechanical junk and made it into his own Egg Moon! If he has found a way to use the Eclipse Cannon again, this world is in serious trouble._

"Were you able to transfer the Eclipse Cannon to the Egg Moon, Doctor?" she heard Decoe question his master. Rouge shuddered as she heard the name of two generations of evil geniuses' finest works mentioned in the same sentence.

"Yes, although I must admit, my grandfather's designs were very hard to duplicate, so I had to take more of the Cannon's components than I had originally anticipated. Even so, I believe that if I could get all seven chaos emeralds again, I would be able to fire the Eclipse Cannon at full power! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho!" Eggman's laugh burst across Rouge's earpiece loud and clear.

Rouge almost didn't hear Eggman's annoying laughter. She was completely stunned at the information she had just heard. _Eggman's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, had rigged Space Colony Ark to crash into the Earth when someone activated the Eclipse Cannon with all seven chaos emeralds. Only Sonic and Shadow the hedgehogs had saved everyone from certain doom by using the emeralds' power to send the plummeting space station back into orbit. Eggy must think that by taking the Eclipse Cannon apart and putting it on the Egg Moon, he will be able to control it this time! And, if he's right, this whole world is in big trouble!!_

"Just one problem, Doctor," Bocoe's voice interrupted Rouge's train of thought, "How do you propose to get the emeralds from Sonic?"

"Yes, and what about the last emerald that we haven't found yet?" Decoe asked his optimistic master.

"Well, to answer the second question first, Sonic and his pals already have all the rest of the chaos emeralds," Eggman informed his assistants.

"What?!" both robots responded to Eggman's suddenly acquired fact. "How can you be sure, Doctor?" Decoe requested an explanation from his master.

"Must I do all the thinking around here?! It's very simple you two dunces! When Tails crashed my little trade with Sonic a few days ago, he flew the X-Tornado towards the bluff at full speed," Eggman tested his assistants by giving them a chance to figure it out themselves before he told them his reasoning.

"So, what, Doctor?" Bocoe said after a few seconds delay.

"You two are useless! The X-Tornado needs a chaos emerald to run at full speed. But, since Sonic had stolen all six of his friends' emeralds, the X-Tornado couldn't have run at full power unless Tails had gotten a hold of the seventh emerald somehow," Eggman gave up on training his numb-skulled assistants and simply answered their question directly. "Knuckles was riding on the rear wing of the X-Tornado, so he probably found the emerald and gave it to Tails."

"Still, how are we going to get the other six emeralds from Sonic?" Bocoe repeated his earlier question.

"That…I still need to work on," Eggman said as his robotic assistants groaned that their master never thought far enough ahead.

Rouge, who had been eavesdropping silently, breathed a sigh of relief. _Good old Eggy! It could take him forever to find a way to get Sonic's emeralds. Looks like I can take my time in reporting to headquarters until I'm sure it's safe. Maybe I could even take Eggman's chaos emerald as well. After all, if I have even one emerald, that means Eggy can't fire the Eclipse Cannon at full strength, even with all of Sonic's._ Her daydreams of pilfering Eggman's sole chaos emerald right from under his nose were interrupted by the resuming of the conversation in the next room.

"Doctor, what are you doing?" Decoe questioned the rapidly typing Eggman.

"I just thought of a brilliant idea!" Eggman blurted out in an obviously excited tone. "My little Egg Virus charade caused a lot of panic for Sonic and his friends last time. What if I did create a real Egg Virus and gave it to Sonic or one of his friends? I bet that might convince them to hand over the chaos emeralds! Whoo ho ho ho ho!"

"Do you really think that Sonic would fall for the same trick again, Doctor?" Bocoe questioned his master's lack of originality.

"Ah ha! But, this time it won't just be a trick!" Eggman corrected his assistant. "I will create a real virus with a real antidote that only I can manufacture. Then, I will give it to Sonic and tell everyone the truth about his disease. Once they find out that the new Egg Virus is real, they will be forced to trade the chaos emeralds for the cure, and I will finally rule the world under the Eggman Empire!!"

Rouge was annoyed by the pompous evil genius's ego as he revealed his plan in a long monologue. However, she was glad that Eggman had spilled the beans so willingly to the undetected spy. _All I have to do is warn Topaz and the President before Eggman has enough time to develop his disease. Then, we can stop Eggman from using the Eclipse Cannon before he can infect Sonic and get his emeralds._

"But, Doctor! You don't know anything about creating diseases, just robots!" Decoe reminded his overly optimistic master.

"I know, I know," Doctor Eggman replied, sounding defeated. "However… Yes! That's it! My grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, specialized in biological and genetic experiments. If he could create Shadow the hedgehog, surely he might have made some kind of super, improved Egg Virus! Let's just check his personal logs," Eggman said before Rouge heard more rapid typing.

"Have you found something, Doctor?" Bocoe asked after there was a conspicuous pause in typing.

"I think so! Hmmm… Let's see," Eggman's sentences came as fragments as the Doctor realized what he had accidentally stumbled upon. "A mutagenic virus for Mobians?! Wait! My grandfather did what with it?! No, it can't be! This explains everything!! If Sonic finds out about this, he will hand deliver the emeralds straight to me for a cure!!" Eggman stopped talking entirely as he closed the file he had just been viewing and quickly walked out of the control room, leaving a very confused pair of robots staring at him as he left.

_Drat that Eggman!_ Rouge thought as she heard the doors to the control room close. _What did he find? It sounds like he might have found a virus after all. Even worse, it was used by Gerald Robotnik to mutate Mobians?! _Rouge hated only knowing half of the story. _Just a second, gal, _she reminded herself, _it doesn't matter how Gerald used the virus in the past. What matters now is that I need to tell HQ about the Eclipse Cannon fast, before Sonic or one of his friends is infected. If any of them get sick, Eggman is sure to convince Sonic to deliver the chaos emeralds to him. And that would mean bye, bye, Earth!_


	11. Chapter 10: A Flight to Remember

Lethal Mutation

Hey, guys! (cough) Ummm... I think that in the last chapter, Chuck forgot about one person when he checked to see if Tails' flu had spread, the author. (cough, cough) Ugh! Note to any aspiring writers, don't make your main character get sick unless you are willing to share his pain as well. Anyways, (cough) I am sorry for the one day pause in updates, but, as you can probably tell, things haven't gone so well for me recently. Thanks to Asher Tye, Pokelad, ChibiRyou200, Nicend, Shika Kev Prower, Drandu, and Rae Logan for their reviews of last chapter. (cough) Oh, and where did you go Zachary W? I hope you didn't catch Tails' flu as well! (Ah-choo! Oh, sorry!) Well, at least as long as I'm sick, I will be able to stay pretty close to my computer all day and reply to reviews quickly. (Oooooohh, maybe not **too** close. Uggh!)

Well, this chapter is pretty much pure fun until about halfway through. (cough) Actually, I probably should have changed part of the title from 'Flight' to 'Flights' to better descibe the action, but, Oh well, who cares anyway? Fans of SonAmy rejoice (or despair) because the whole first scene is dedicated to the disfunctional couple! Plus, all you dedicated readers will get a little bit more of the story as to Eggman's newest plans! Now read and enjoy while I lie in bed miserable and yell at Tails for not always covering his mouth in chapter 5! (AAHHH-Chooo! Oooooh, Tails, why did you do this to me?!)

Chapter 10: A Flight to Remember

A quiet Saturday morning in downtown Station Square. In a perfectly inconspicuous apartment whose tenant was madly rushing about in preparation for a guest...

_Won't Sonic be so happy that I prepared all this food for him!_ Amy was setting the table in her small, single apartment in downtown Station Square in anticipation of the blue hedgehog's arrival. She had worked all morning on cooking a huge breakfast for her reluctant boyfriend, and he would be coming in a few minutes. _If they say that the fastest way into a man's heart is through his stomach, then, with Ella's cooking lessons, I should have Sonic in my hands after the first bite! _Amy sighed as she daydreamed of Sonic eating a bite of her pancakes and rushing over to her in a romantic embrace. She snapped out of her daydream with a jump as a loud knock on her door announced her lover's arrival. She opened the door to admit the blue hedgehog that was standing in the hallway of the apartment complex on her floor. "Oh, Sonic! I am soooo glad that you remembered about our breakfast together!" Amy cheerfully greeted her crush.

"Hiya, Amy! Boy, something smells wonderful!" Sonic replied as the scent of a gourmet breakfast was carried into his nostrils from the open door. Sonic walked into Amy's apartment and sat down at the end of her small table in the kitchen area. "Wow, Amy! You cooked all this food for us?!" Sonic spoke, clearly startled by the sheer magnitude of the smorgasbord laid out in front of him.

"Of course, Sonic," Amy answered the rhetorical question. "Now, you should start eating quickly, before it gets cold. I'll be right there in a minute." Amy still had one more dish cooking in the oven that she had purposefully neglected to add to the table until Sonic had seen the rest of the food. It was one of Ella's super secret, and somewhat unorthodox, recipes that Amy had to swear herself to secrecy to obtain, but it was also Sonic's favorite breakfast food, Ella's special spicy sausage and cheese omelet. As she walked into her apartment's small kitchen, Amy was startled by the sudden ringing of her house phone.

Annoyed that someone dared to interrupt while she was trying to impress her lover, Amy reluctantly answered the phone. _I thought I told everyone at Chris's house not to call me this morning because I would be busy. If this is one of those telemarketers, I'm going to be sooooo angry!_ "Hello?" the pink hedgehog calmly answered the phone in contrast to her actual anger at the disruption.

"Hi, Amy! This is Tails. Is Sonic there?" came the fox's voice from the phone's receiver.

"Yes, but me and him are busy right now, Tails!" Amy said in an aggravated tone. She definitely didn't want Sonic's little brother interrupting her or Sonic during what was supposed to be a romantic breakfast for two.

"Ooops! I'm sorry, Amy! I just knew that he was supposed to be over at your place this morning, and I kinda had something important to ask him," Tails spoke softly over the phone. Amy's unexpected and fearful rage had scared the poor fox, and Tails had barely managed to work up enough courage to continue the conversation.

"Well, you'll just have to ask him later, Tails!" Amy rebuked the fox in a saucy voice. She was just about to slam the phone back down on its cradle when a voice from behind her caused her to turn around.

"Is that Tails, Amy?" Sonic asked the pink hedgehog. He had overheard the commotion from the table and came to see what had caused it.

"Oh!" Amy exclaimed in surprise as she quickly turned around and held the phone behind her back. "Ummm… Yeah! But he was just about to hang up now," Amy tried to give the blue hedgehog a hint.

"Tell him to hold on a second, Ames," Sonic failed to grasp Amy's subtle clue as to wanting no distractions. Sonic shoved a sausage patty into his mouth from the pile he had been eating and quickly grabbed the phone. He waited long enough to swallow before he spoke into the receiver. "Heya, little bro! What's happenin'?"

"Hiya, Sonic! I wanted to tell you that Chuck and I just finished the new improvements on the X-Tornado. We were just about to test it out by going into space today, and I wanted to know if you wanted to come along," Tails informed his buddy.

"Sure thing, pal! When are we goin'?" Sonic asked his ambitious brother.

"I'll fly over there and pick you up in just a sec, Sonic! OK, bye!" Tails spoke before the line went dead.

"Hey! Tails, wait…!" Sonic attempted to stop the fox that had already hung up on him. "Ummm… Gee, I'm sorry Amy. You know how my little bro can be when it comes to flying, especially if we're goin' into space! He hung up before I could tell him to wait until later. I guess I have to go now or not at all," Sonic apologized for having to eat and run.

"Sure, Sonic," Amy growled through gritted teeth as Sonic walked out the door of her apartment. "Have fun in space!" Immediately after she heard the door close, Amy suddenly went into a frenzy. "That Sonic!! How could he just leave like that without even so much as saying he loves me!! This was supposed to be my big chance to impress him!" the pink hedgehog shouted as she proceeded to redecorate her apartment violently. "Ooooohhh!! That Tails should be glad that he was talking to me on a phone instead of face-to-face, or else I would have given him a bump on the head so hard that he would get a million concussions!!" Amy lifted her giant Piko Piko Hammer over her head in preparation for a mighty blow to the innocent telephone on its desk. Just before she reduced the phone and probably its desk as well to shrapnel, she finally checked her anger and instead sat down dejected in her living room sofa.

"Sonic shouldn't have run off like that, but he probably didn't understand how important this meal was to me," Amy thought aloud. She knew that Sonic didn't have a romantic bone in his body and would probably have completely missed the point of this morning's date. "Too bad my best chance to win him over is gone now," Amy sulked. Then, she had a wonderful idea. _Hold on! Did Tails say that they were going into outer space?! What could possibly be more romantic than to sit with Sonic as we watch the stars all around us! Even Sonic would have to notice that the view is romantic, and he might even show me some signs of affection if we were together in such a dreamy location instead of my boring apartment!_ Amy quickly took off her cooking apron and dashed towards the door in order to follow Sonic. But before she reached the knob to her apartment's door, the X-Cyclone landed on the street outside her window. She turned around to see Sonic jump on as the X-Cyclone immediately took off again without waiting for her to join them.

"ARRRRGGG!! You skipped my special breakfast with you, AND you ran off into outer space without inviting meee!! Sonic! If I ever catch you, you will regret this!!" Amy hollered at the now out of sight X-Tornado. Then she smelled a foul odor that was a chef's worst nightmare. _Oh No! _Amy thought as she identified the smell,_ I forgot about Sonic's special omelet! _Quickly she ran into the kitchen and removed the charred remains of an omelet from the pan it had been cooking in. _It's completely ruined!_ Amy observed as she inspected the surprise dish that she had now overcooked to the point of creating charcoal instead of food. Even though this was the final straw, Amy found herself not angry, but sad, as she walked over to the table to partake in her share of the meal. She was surprised to find that although she had purposefully cooked more than she and Sonic could have possibly eaten alone, Sonic had left very few leftovers from his quick meal. _At least he must have really liked the food, _Amy pondered about the one positive thing that this whole event had accomplished. She sighed as she finished off the rest of the half-eaten hash browns and started to clean the table after the messy blue hedgehog.

* * *

"We're heading through the upper atmosphere now," Tails informed his guests on the maiden flight of the X-Tornado's experimental, new engines. Chris was seated right behind Tails in the forward cockpit while Chuck had the front seat in the rear, backup cockpit. Sonic was the only other passenger, and, as he customarily did, the hedgehog was now reclining against the rear wing as the Tornado gained altitude rapidly. Tails quickly checked his control panel in front of him for any signs of trouble and was glad to see that everything was working perfectly. He glanced down at the dual blue and yellow chaos emeralds glittering below the dashboard panel between his legs. He hadn't chosen those two emeralds because they were better in any way to the others, but something about their colors seemed to make them a perfect match for each other. _Kinda like me and Sonic,_ Tails realized, _we aren't any better of a match then him and anyone else, but we just seem right to be together._

"Are you OK, Tails?" Christopher Thorndike leaned forward in his seat behind the daydreaming fox.

Tails quickly shook his head to re-focus on what was going on right now. "I'm fine, Chris," he reassured the overprotective boy. "Here we go, now leaving the atmosphere, guys!" Tails announced to everyone aboard. The blue of the sky had been slowly darkening as they had traveled higher off the planet, but now all hints of color were erased except for a pitch-black blanket of space with brightly shining stars scattered throughout.

"Amazing!" Chuck's voice came over the headset as they all marveled at the wonderful view.

"Yeah, great view, bro! I'm glad I came!" Sonic spoke up from his perch outside the X-Tornado.

"OK, let's see if these new, improved ion-drive engines will work, Chuck," Tails reminded his partner on the purpose of their visit.

"Right, bringing the ion engines online now," Chuck responded in a professional voice.

"Hey, Tails," Chris addressed the piloting fox, "Why did you need to make new engines for the X-Tornado to go into space? I thought that we could already get up here with only one emerald like we did before."

"Well, Chris," Tails explained to the inquisitive youth who was actually about his age, "The old engines for the X-Tornado could barely get us into orbit, and even if we did, there would not be enough power to maneuver around in space anyways. However, the new engines use the power of two emeralds to fire out highly energetic charged particles from the X-Tornado's thrusters instead of just hot gasses, making it more maneuverable and faster than just rocket engines." Tails could see that Chris actually somewhat understood what he had just told him. Chris was a pretty smart kid, and he took after his grandfather, Chuck, when it came to his love of science and mechanics.

"Ion engines are now at one hundred percent, Tails," Chuck's voice interrupted through Tail's headset. "How about we see how she handles, partner?"

"Sure thing, Chuck! Tell Sonic to hold on back there so he doesn't drift off into space by accident," Tails requested before suddenly throttling up to full speed. The X-Tornado lurched forward as it began travelling out into open space at what would have been blistering speeds on the planet below.

"Take it easy, Tails!!" Chuck fearfully shouted across the fox's headset. "We don't know if the engines can take this kind of acceleration yet!"

"Sorry, Chuck!" Tails responded as he killed the throttle. "I just couldn't resist! Heh, heh…" the fox's laughter tapered off as he realized that no one else was laughing with him. _I guess this is what it feels like for Sam Speed in his super-fast, experimental cars. _Having gotten the need for sudden thrills out of his system, Tails now put the new engines through their paces gradually before deciding to again test their maximum potential. "OK, Chuck! Everything looks fine on my end, so let's try out the point thrusters."

"What are those?" Chris again asked Tails.

"Well, in space we aren't pushing against air like we do on Earth," Tails answered. "That means that if we want to go in a different direction or turn around, we can't just tilt the wings to do it. That's why Chuck and I installed several small rocket thrusters all over the X-Tornado so we could control it better."

"I get it!" Chris responded in the happy tone he used when he finally understood something that he never could get before. "So it's kinda' like paddling a canoe! You have to push on the side that is opposite of the way you want to turn."

"Pretty much, except there is no water to push against," Tails congratulated the good example Chris had come up with. "Now let's see if they work." Unlike before with the engines, Tails only did short test fires with each maneuvering thruster at first to check if they worked properly. Pretty soon, though, the X-Tornado was being led through a gruesome ordeal of twists, corkscrews, and turns by the first expert space pilot, Tails.

"Everything checks out OK, Tails," Chuck's voice came across the fox's headset after a short pause between stunts. "A few of the thrusters need some slight realignment, but otherwise the new X-Tornado works perfectly! Let's take her back down now."

"Awwwww! Come on, Chuck! I was just getting used to it!" Tails argued with his friend in the rear cockpit. The joy of flying for Tails was almost equal to the excitement Sonic found in running at breakneck speeds.

"I know you don't want to leave, Tails, but I think we should seriously head back now," Chuck pleaded with the stubborn pilot. "Remember that the point thrusters don't run on pure chaos emerald energy, and we've already used up half of our fuel. If we stay up here too much longer, we won't have enough to get back and land safely. Besides, I am worried that Sonic might be freezing to death out there." Chuck referred to the blue hedgehog who had stubbornly refused to climb in the rear cockpit behind Chuck when they exited the atmosphere. Sonic, like most other Mobians that had been transported into this world, had the unexplainable ability to survive indefinitely in the vacuum of space without any air to breathe. However, the cold from being so far from Earth's warm atmosphere was another story entirely.

"I'm p-p-p-p-perfectly f-f-f-fine, g-g-g-g-guys!" Sonic shouted out while overhearing the conversation. He was shivering all over as his words came out horribly stuttered from his quivering mouth.

"Oh No! Sonic, why didn't you tell me that you were cold?!" Tails yelled mostly at himself for forgetting about his best friend this whole time. "Good thing I also installed a new exterior heating system for space travel!" Tails said before hitting a button on the panel to his left. Instantly, some of the power of the two emeralds was turned directly into heat that flowed throughout the hull of the X-Tornado, providing much needed warmth to the freezing hedgehog.

"Ahhhh, Much better, buddy!" Sonic thanked Tails for his ingenious way of once again having a special feature for everything. "Now let's go back home so I can stretch my legs!"

"OK, we'll head back now, Sonic," Tails finally gave in to his big brother's request as he turned the X-Tornado back towards Earth. "You might want to climb in with Chuck though. When we reenter the atmosphere it's going to get really hot out there."

"Good idea, little bro! I don't want to be barbecued hedgehog today!" Sonic shot back as he quickly popped open the rear cockpit hatch and jumped in. Even with his impressive speed, Sonic barely managed to get in before the hatch automatically closed again to keep Chuck protected from the lack of oxygen because of the escaping air.

Tails heard Chuck yell at Sonic for nearly suffocating him to death before he gunned the engines and headed for the planet below. The hull of the X-Tornado began to glow red, then a bright, blinding white as it rocketed through the atmosphere. Tails knew that this was the most dangerous part of their trip because one small error in his angle of reentry or the X-Tornado's exterior hull plating would mean certain death for everyone aboard. As the Tornado kept plummeting towards the planet's surface, Tails could feel the effects of the intense G-forces mercilessly crushing his body. He was very familiar with this feeling from years of intense aerial acrobatics in the sky that he was now falling through, but this time they felt much stronger than ever before. _I must be coming in too steep!_ Tails realized as he heard noises coming from the X-Tornado that he was certain weren't good. He grabbed the two joystick yokes in front of him that served to pilot the plane and pulled back hard with all his might. As he struggled to pull the nose up, he noticed that his headset wasn't working anymore. _I can't ask Chuck or Sonic for help now, and Chris doesn't know how to fly the X-Tornado yet! Then, I guess I'll just have to fly this thing by myself! _Tails resolved. However, the compounded exertion of fighting gravity's pull and the rapidly accelerating X-Tornado single-handedly proved far too much for the weak fox as his vision began to dim. _If I keep this up, I'm going to black out, and the X-Tornado will burn up in the atmosphere! No!! I have to do something fast! _With the last of his strength Tails managed to wrench one of his pinned-down tails out from below his seat and used it to wave at Chuck in the rear cockpit in their pre-rehearsed sign that he was in trouble and couldn't communicate. Just before he lost consciousness, Tails felt the joysticks in both of his hands go slack as Chuck transferred control of the X-Tornado to the rear cockpit. _I couldn't do it, Sonic. I failed. Sorry._ Then, despite the brilliant white glow of the X-Tornado's hull as it proceeded with re-entry, Tails' world went black as his lifeless body slumped over in his chair harness.

* * *

_Finally, I'm in! _she thought as she sat in front of the terminal in Eggman's secret underwater base's computer core. _I guess Eggy isn't all that bad at protecting his information after all. It has taken me hours to hack into his main computer core. Now, let's do a little digging for information on his new plans. _She pulled up the complete schematics of the Egg Moon, which was now labeled the Death Egg after the addition of the Eclipse Cannon. The map showed that the doomsday laser had been installed on the dark side of the intact, rocky half of the moon in a large crater. _Well, that's useless! Eggy can't hit the Earth with his Eclipse Cannon if it's on the dark side of the moon! Unless... of course, gal! He has rockets on the Egg Moon that can turn it around when he's ready to fire, just like he used them to block the sun in a solar eclipse from several days in the past. _She immediately copied all the information in that folder onto a super-compact diskette that she had brought with her. Then, she shifted her attention to Eggman's other evil scheme of creating a real Egg Virus and giving it to Sonic in order to obtain all seven chaos emeralds. She found a personal log made by Eggman that showed that he had already made several failed attempts to duplicate the mutagenic virus that his grandfather had perfected, and, most disturbing of all, that Eggman intended to mass produce it once it was ready.

_This is bad! _Rouge thought as she realized what Eggman could do with such a virus. _Even if it does only affect Mobians, it means that I would be at risk, too. I can't just suddenly sprout another set of wings; just think about what it would do to my beautiful image!_ Quickly, Rouge hacked deeper into Eggman's research on the new Egg Virus. She noticed a relatively huge lack of testing and research on his part. _If Eggy really is trying to create this virus again, he doesn't seem to be in much of a hurry. Either that, or maybe he doesn't know the whole recipe either? _While she speculated on Eggman's progress, she located a series of video logs that were dated back decades ago. As she viewed the log entries, she noticed that they were made by none other than Gerald Robotnik, Eggman's grandfather and scientific genius, as he reviewed his research on the forced mutation of normal Mobians using his special virus. _He was using the Egg Virus to make an army of mutant Mobians!! Wait, if Eggman plans on mass producing the virus on the Egg Moon, then he might be trying to do the same thing as his grandfather! Except… Ha, Eggman must be a bigger fool than I thought if he thinks that that will work on this planet. He would need hundreds of Mobians to create a sizeable army, and there are simply too few of us in this reality._ Suddenly, a chill ran up the nocturnal secret agent's spine as she realized where Eggman was going to get his unwilling volunteers. _But what about Mobius!! If Eggy gets all seven chaos emeralds, he can open the portal to our home world again! He can control Earth with his Death Egg while his Egg Virus is used to conquer Mobius! He would finally have enough power to rule both worlds!!_

Rouge quickly downloaded everything she had just found onto the diskette as well, before she removed it from the computer core. Then, a thought crossed her mind concerning how Eggman had planned to get all seven emeralds. _Worst of all, he doesn't even need to finish his virus and infect anyone for his plan to work now! If what I read just now is correct, Gerald __already took care of that for him as well. I have to get this information to Topaz, now!_ The jewel obsessed bat quickly dashed out of the main computer core room in order to summon her extraction submarine immediately. Rouge removed the tube of lipstick that Topaz had given her and hit the button hidden inside the back of the tube to summon her ride to be there within the next hour.

As she ran down the hallway, Rouge paused at the door to the chaos emerald storage room. She knew that Eggman's sole chaos emerald lay beyond those doors, and she couldn't resist at least trying to steal it for herself. _Someday these emeralds are going to get me in a lot of trouble! _Rouge thought as she realized the stupidity of the heist she was about to attempt without a window for escape until at least an hour from now. She opened the large metal door that separated her from the crystal clear emerald in the room beyond. Rouge was dazzled by the brilliance of the brightly glowing emerald in the center of the room, which was protected by a large, glass tube that connected to a mechanical base upraised from the floor. She took a couple of steps towards the emerald's secure case before the door behind her sealed shut with a loud crash and the dim lights in the room suddenly brightened to full intensity, blinding the nocturnal spy. Momentarily unable to see, Rouge used her super-sensitive hearing to keep alert as a loud voice bellowed from the once empty space between her and the chaos emerald's case.

"Haaa ha ha ha ha haaa!! I should have known that it would be you, Rouge!" the silhouette of a floating chair mounted by a single, large occupant spoke.

"Eggman! How did you…?" Rouge started to ask as her vision cleared.

"Come now, Rouge, do you really think that you could hack into my computer mainframe and get away with it?" Eggman joked towards the trapped bat. "I knew all along that you couldn't resist trying to steal my chaos emerald, so I laid a little trap for you in here! Now, return the stolen files from the computer core to me or else!" Eggman made a fist with his hands to emphasize that he meant business.

"Hold on, Eggy," Rouge calmly responded in her annoying tone that she used when she talked to men. "You wouldn't hurt a poor, defenseless, little girl like me, would you?"

"Hardly," Eggman replied to the bat that so far refused to be intimidated by anything. "But my robots might!" Rouge heard a whoosh as the sole door in the room opened, and a whole legion of Eggman's bipedal mechs suddenly swarmed into the room. "Now, you pesky little spy, hand over the disk!" Eggman repeated his demand in a sterner voice.

"Not much for small talk, are we Eggy?" Rouge taunted the aggravated Doctor. She slipped the small, compact diskette out of her breast pocket and waved it in the air to tempt him.

"Give me that disk, or else I'll take it from you the hard way!!" Eggman's temper rose.

"No can do, Eggboy," Rouge defied the persistent Dr. Robotnik. "Even if I gave you this disk, you would still lock me up to keep anyone from learning about your plans. And, personally, I'm not too fond of vertical stripes; they make me look fat."

"Oh, really?" Eggman pretended to act amused. "And exactly how much have you found out about my newest plans?" he interrogated his new prisoner.

"Only, just about, everything!" Rouge toyed with the aggravated Doctor. She knew that she had really gotten herself into trouble this time, but she had resolved to be defiant to the last. "It won't work, you know. I have already called for help, and when they arrive and don't see me waiting for them, they will blow your base to smithereens without a second thought!"

"Oh, I doubt that very much, my batty little sleuth! Your President couldn't even dent this base if he wanted to!!" Eggman boasted. "Now, any last words before I give you a lesson on what happens to enemies of the Eggman Empire?"

"Yeah, you should really start a diet, Eggy, or else that floating chair of yours might need to be resized!" Rouge insulted the obese Doctor.

"That's it!! Guard-bots! Destroy her!!" Eggman yelled as his robotic sentries opened fire on the trapped bat.

Rouge quickly jumped into the air to avoid the numerous rounds of machine gun fire that converged on her previous position. Then, she spun into a spiral in mid-air with one foot extended to drill through any obstacle that she contacted. Her mini tornado attack tore through several of the attacking robots as the others turned their guns to track her movements. Upon her landing in front of the now locked door, the remaining robots launched a pair of missiles each towards her. Rouge again took to the skies as the missiles exploded on the door behind her a split second later. As soon as the smoke had cleared, she wasted no time in flying out the gaping hole in the wall and dashing down the corridor towards the base's only entrance and exit.

As she ran down the hallway at full speed, she heard her pursuers running after her. She heard Eggman holler at his robots to go faster as she took a right angle at an intersection to lead off her pursuit. She was only two more hallways away from the front door and freedom when a large metal shutter slammed down in front of her face. Rouge turned back frantically to find that the hallway behind her was similarly blocked off. Looking for an escape route, Rouge quickly entered an unmarked door in her section of hallway. The room inside was a large hanger bay with Eggman's Egg Rocket in launch position at the center of the room. _Perfect!_ Rouge thought as she saw her new method of extraction. Quickly, she climbed aboard and activated the launch sequence. The room filled with smoke as the countdown reached zero, and the secret agent was blasted out an open shutter door in the roof of Eggman's undersea base. She breathed a quick sigh of relief at having escaped Eggman's deliberate trap intact, but her respite did not last long.

As soon as the rocket cleared the ocean and entered flight, Rouge immediately remembered that the Egg Rocket was meant to blast off into outer space, and she didn't have any intentions of leaving the planet just yet. "How do I stop this thing?!" Rouge spoke to herself in a panic. Just then, a loud boom was heard from the rear of the Egg Rocket as the thrusters suddenly stopped working entirely. Rouge was thrown across the cockpit from the blast, and her face was smeared against a small porthole window that looked down at the now approaching ocean. _I gotta ditch this rust-bucket before it takes me back to the bottom of the sea!_ Rouge grabbed the handle for the emergency escape hatch from the cockpit and tried to turn it, but it was stuck fast. _Doesn't anything on this hunk of junk work right?!_ the frightened agent wondered. She looked through the small window again to see how much time she had before hitting the water, but found her view obstructed by a strange, floating landmass. _An island! I bet I could steer this thing to land there instead of the open ocean._ Then, Rouge noticed that the island wasn't floating on water, but in the air. _Wait, that's Angel Island! I guess that it's time to say hello to a certain red friend of mine! _"Ha, ha!" she chuckled as she thought about the fun she was going to have taunting the quick-tempered echidna.


	12. Chapter 11: The Dream

Lethal Mutation

Hello again, all you wonderful readers! Hey, thanks for the get well wishes; I think that they did the trick! I must have just gotten that 24 hour junk like Tails did. (Sorry, Drandu, no Eggthrax this time. lol) Anyways, I just checked my reader traffic stats today, and, thanks to people like you (yes, you!), I now have over 500 visitors to my story so far! WOOT! I never imagined that it would get this popular, and I have to thank all my loyal reviewers for helping me make it even better: (Here comes the list!) ChibiRyou200, Asher Tye, Nicend, Drandu, Zachary W, Shika Kev Prower, cari, Pokelad, and, last but not least, Rae Logan! Thanks for always brightening up my days with your wonderful reviews! And if I didn't mention your name here, send me a good review and I will be sure to add you to the list for next chapter!

Moving on, now. OK, a lot of you guys are probably looking forward to Rouge meeting Knuckles and the hilarity that is sure to follow, but I decided when I wrote this that they would have to wait for a couple of chapters as I needed to tell you a lot more about Tails' mysterious symptoms before the bat let the cat out of the bag. Rest assured, I will return to Angel Island soon, but not yet! Also, this chapter doesn't start with a description of when or where it takes place at the beginning because, frankly, Tails doesn't even know! I'm warning you, however, this chapter poses a lot more questions than it answers! Be prepared for me to go even farther into the history and memories of our furry hero than you may have ever believed I would dare to go!

Chapter 11: The Dream

_Where am I? What is this place? It all looks so strange, _the fox tried to understand the strange world he suddenly found himself in. He was surrounded all around by a thick haze that slowly changed colors from a pallet that contained all the colors in the rainbow. He felt warm, comfortable even. Something about this place, whatever it was, felt good. Tails couldn't quite find the right word for the feeling. _It feels…inviting, like I belong here more than anywhere else. But, where is here? Am I dreaming, or did I just wake up from a dream? Ahhh, I am so confused!!_ Tails reached for his head to try and stop his pounding brain from escaping his skull. The world around him seemed to respond to his confusion as it began accelerating in its rotation of colors. As the fox tried to sort out what was going on, the whole room he was in started to flash random colors from multiple spots in each direction like strobe lights. _This will definitely give anyone a seizure!_ Tails thought as he tried to close his eyes to look away from the frantic light show. However, he soon found that closing his eyes did nothing, as he could still see everything perfectly even while they were closed. Overwhelmed by the pure chaos all around him, Tails dropped into the fetal position on the invisible, yet solid ground beneath him. He curled his tails tightly against his body in the most compact ball of fur ever seen as he began to whimper at all the unanswered questions ravaging his mind.

"Help! Is anybody there?!" Tails frantically called into the rapid, disco-light void. "Please, someone, HELP ME!!" The feeling of belonging and safety that he had felt originally was completely lost now, replaced instead by chaos and confusion. He felt his very sanity leaving him as everything that he had ever known was thrown into doubt in this new reality. It was all way too much for the young kit. Tails let out a blood-curdling scream at the highest volume he had ever heard any living thing make. He felt like his own voice would bust his eardrums, yet he kept screaming louder and louder as he sought some kind of release from his torment. Just as his voice seemed to get to the point of being too loud to even hear, everything around him stopped. The initial feeling of peace and security once again returned completely. Stunned, Tails immediately stopped his wailing and looked around to find his savior, if any. Two figures approached him through the now colorless fog. As they approached, one of them began to speak softly towards the startled kit in a voice that Tails swore he knew but had never heard before.

"It's alright, honey," one of the still unidentifiable figures called out. The voice was definitely feminine. "You will be fine. Oh, I am so sorry, Miles! I have never been there when you needed me before, and I never will."

"Who are you? How do you know my name?" Tails shouted towards the two figures in the thick mist. The figures continued to come closer as Tails noticed that they were both taller than him and had similar body shapes to his own. _They are Mobian foxes like me, only adults!_

"It's all my fault, son," the second figure spoke up in a voice filled with regret. This voice was clearly from a male. "Everything you have had to go through, all the names, all the staring, all the doubt; it's all my fault."

"Son?! What do you mean?!" Tails demanded an explanation from the mysterious specters.

"I won't ever be there, son," the first figure again spoke to the completely overwhelmed fox cub. "I wish I could have been there, honey; I know that you needed me. I have always loved you."

"Wait! Please, who are you?! When were you not there for me? Tell me, please!" Tails again pleaded with the apparitions.

"I'm sorry, son. You deserved better than this. It's all my fault," the second, male voice said. "I am so sorry for the curse I passed on to you. I never wanted my torment to become your own. Please forgive me!"

"Forgive you for what? I don't understand!!" the befuddled fox shouted at the cryptic spirits in front of him. Suddenly, the hazy images started to fade from sight as the strange figures turned around and walked away. "NO!! Come back, please! I don't understand!!" Tails attempted to stop the retreating spirits. Before they completely faded from sight, he swore that the second spirit grabbed the first one and flew off by rotating something behind him. Immediately after the two figures had disappeared, Tails felt his whole world again turn black. All color drained into a complete darkness before, in what seemed like an instant, a hint of light was seen growing in front of his eyes. Feeling returned to the fox as he first noticed the parts of his body and their positions on a solid surface he was now laying on top of. The light shining in his eyes now shown through his closed eyelids brighter than ever. Tails at last managed to open his eyes to see a room that was all white with a large, artificial light source above his head. _Is this heaven? Did I die?_ The smell of antiseptic and clean linens reached his nose seconds later as he realized where he really was. _I'm in the hospital! But, what happened to me? And what was that dream all about?_

Tails turned his head slightly to survey the room he was currently in. Strewn about the room in chairs and floor mats were the sleeping figures of Chuck, Cream, Cheese, Vanilla, Amy, and Chris. Also, slumped over on his bed railing next to his head was a snoozing Sonic the hedgehog. One of Sonic's gloved hands was gripping Tails' nearest hand in a tight embrace. Unsure on whether to wake the sleeping group or to wait until they woke up on their own, Tails slowly slipped his arm out of Sonic's death grip and tried to sit up in the hospital bed he was lying in. He noticed that several different wires to sensors on his body and head, as well as an IV tube in his free hand's wrist, made the process difficult on his own. He finally managed to sit up in a comfortable position, but not without making a good deal of noise from his crinkly hospital gown that had been put over his torso for modesty. _This stupid shirt is going to be the first thing to go!_Tails thought to himself as he stared at all the unnecessary equipment and wires that were connected to his body in several different locations. The gown was sticking to his fur and trapping moisture against his skin so that his whole body felt damp. He didn't think that Mobians really needed to wear clothes anyways. Their fur coats covered their bodies perfectly, so they didn't have to cover their naked bodies with clothes unless they wanted to for special reasons, like a coat for winter, or a suit for formal occasions.

"Chao?" uttered a tiny voice from across the room. Cheese had been sleeping in Cream's lap until it had awoken to the sound of Tails' movement a second ago. Now, the curious chao wiped its eyes with its hands as it stared towards the upright Tails in his bed. "Chao! Chao, Chao!" Cheese suddenly exclaimed in a voice loud enough to wake up everyone in the room. All over the room, groggy heads began to rise slowly from their resting positions.

"What's the matter, Cheese?" Cream asked her chao pet as she woke to its cries of joy. She followed Cheese's pointed hand towards Tails sitting up on his bed. "Tails! You're awake!" the bunny exclaimed excitedly. Everyone in the room suddenly became alert and stared at the surprised fox as they heard the news of why Cheese had just woken them up.

"It's a miracle!" Chuck chimed in from the corner recliner as he struggled to get to his feet. He was trapped in his armchair by a plethora of machines, gadgets, and his high-powered laptop that was connected to them all.

"He's alive!" Chris celebrated from his uncomfortable leaning perch in the window sill.

"Well, it's about time!" Amy said from her spot on a shared sofa with Cream and Cheese.

"How long have I been here?" Tails asked the now fully conscious group.

"About two days, bro," Sonic answered from Tails' bedside. He was noticeably happy to see his little brother awake again. "You've been in a coma ever since we managed to land the X-Tornado last Saturday."

"I remember blacking out because of coming in too steep into the atmosphere, but certainly not going into a coma or anything!" Tails responded in shock.

"That's what's strange Tails," Chuck explained, "You shouldn't have blacked out at all! Some of the mid-air stunts that you pull in the X-Tornado every day exert more G-forces than our reentry into the atmosphere Saturday did, and you have never blacked out like that before."

"What's even stranger is that you have been having a few more seizures while you were out cold," Amy informed the puzzled fox. "You had one just a few hours ago where you screamed out of control for a whole minute!" In her compassion, she had forgiven Tails completely for disrupting her breakfast with Sonic a couple of days ago.

_Maybe that was the same time as I felt everything going crazy during my dream. It could have been another seizure!_ Tails didn't have a clue on what all this meant, or what any of the events in his dream had meant either. He was just about to tell everyone about his strange vision when Vanilla quickly returned to the room with a nurse in tow. She had left the room immediately upon awaking to inform the head nurse that Tails had regained consciousness, and now led the nurse to Tails' bedside, who proceeded to check his vitals. Before she had even finished, a specialist doctor also burst into the room and proceeded to record the readings from the multiple machines that were hooked up to Tails' body.

"What's going on here?" Sonic inquired as he was forced away from his friend's bedside in a sudden flurry of activity.

"This is astounding!" the doctor quickly replied after finishing his analysis of Tails. "He is fully conscious again, and he shows no signs of any major brain damage from his extended coma. Mr. Prower, you are either one tough fox or just extremely lucky!"

"Huh?" Tails replied to the bewildered doctor. "Why would I not be fine? I just blacked out for a while, that's all!"

"On the contrary, my miracle patient," the doctor began to explain. "You have been unconscious for over 48 hours! That is a long time to stay under, and most patients who don't wake up in the first day after slipping into a coma never wake up at all! Plus, all the violent seizures that you have been having while you were unconscious pointed towards intense brain trauma or damage. No other patient has ever had such severe symptoms and still woken up intact. All other cases like yours were either fatal, or the patient had to live the rest of their life with severe mental disabilities. But, you don't seem to have been affected at all!"

"You mean that I almost died?!" Tails shouted in surprise.

"Several times over, Tails," Chuck responded from his armchair in the corner. "At least twice you would stop breathing or your heart would stop beating, and a whole team of nurses would have to rush in here and give you CPR. That's why one of us has always been in your room at all times to watch over you," Chuck concluded as he motioned towards everyone in the room with his hands.

"How long have you guys been here?" Tails asked the assembled crowd. He was worried that they all might have spent the last two days in this cramped little room just for him.

"Chuck, Vanilla, and I have been right here the whole time, bro," Sonic answered. "Amy, Cream, Cheese, and Chris have just come during the days for most of the afternoon, and Mr. Tanaka and Ella also stopped by every now and then, along with some of Chris's friends."

"Wow! I didn't know that so many people cared for me this much!" Tails announced as he realized the huge sacrifices that everyone had made just for him. "Wait, what time is it? Shouldn't you be in school, Chris?" Tails asked the truant boy.

"He was given the last two days off by his teacher to watch over you, Tails," a voice other than Chris's answered from the doorway. In walked a man with the uncanny ability to appear at any location Chris happened to be in, no matter how far away or remote it may be.

"Mr. Steward! You came!" Chris greeted his teacher as the now very crowded room added another occupant.

"Of course I came, Chris," Mr. Steward addressed his student and personal assignment. Then he turned towards Tails on the bed in front of him and produced a large card from his interior jacket pocket. "Chris's class was worried about you once they heard the news, and they decided to give you a get well card. I am glad that you were awake to receive it, and so will my class." He handed a large card to Tails that was full of drawings of the fox in all sorts of poses and signatures of the concerned students next to brief messages of "get well soon."

"Thanks, Mr. Steward," Tails responded as he looked over the expansive card. "Tell Chris's class thanks too for me, please?" he asked a small favor.

"It would be my pleasure," Mr. Steward accepted before changing the subject. "I am curious, however, Tails, what caused this sudden turn for the worst? I thought that you had just gotten healthy again from the Mobian Flu a week ago, and now you're in the hospital and worse than ever."

"We don't know," Chuck answered truthfully. "He has been experiencing strange symptoms like seizures and sudden fainting recently, but we haven't been able to find the cause."

"I thought that he also was complaining about a sharp pain in his chest occasionally," Mr. Steward made sure that Chuck didn't overlook the possibly related symptom.

"That's right, but how did you know that, Mr. Steward?" Tails interrogated the man that had suddenly revealed a fact that not even everyone in this room knew about.

"Oh! I just heard it in a rumor somewhere, that's all!" Mr. Steward quickly dodged the question. He had forgotten that nobody had made the connection between him and the mysterious Professor Strunecker that had gotten this information from Tails in their meeting three days ago.

"Mr. Thorndike here has informed me of all of these symptoms already," the professional doctor suddenly reentered the discussion. "But, as to anything that might cause such strange and severe symptoms and yet be able to seemingly vanish completely, I don't have a clue what Mr. Prower's problem could be! Perhaps, now that he has regained consciousness, a brain scan can be done to locate anything abnormal in his cerebral cortex that might explain his current situation."

"Won't that hurt?" Cream asked in concern for Tails.

"No dear," Vanilla comforted the alarmed bunny. "A brain scan doesn't hurt at all. They will just put Tails in a big electronic tube that shows what he is thinking."

"But what if Tails doesn't want them to know what he is thinking?! Aren't you afraid that they might find out one of your secrets or something, Tails?" the concerned young rabbit asked Tails.

"They can't really read my mind, Cream," Tails reassured the overly concerned young bunny. "They will just see which parts of my brain are working right and which ones aren't."

"OK, that sounds much better!" Cream finally understood that Tails was in no danger from this brain scan procedure and dropped the subject entirely. Her little chao friend, Cheese, also seemed happy at the news and proceeded to fly over to Tails' stomach and bounce up and down on it while the chao and fox both laughed.

"Hey, that tickles!" Tails laughed as the small chao used his belly as a trampoline. Then, without warning, the soft feeling of the bouncing chao suddenly gave way to another wave of pain from his chest. "Ahhhh!! The pain! It's back!" Tails managed to say before the sharp pain took his breath away. He instinctively clasped his arms tightly across his stomach as his two tails also wrapped his midsection in a tightening loop. The nurse and the doctor immediately erupted into a flurry of motion as the doctor monitored Tails' vital signs and gave out rapid orders while the nurse secured a breathing mask around the fox's mouth and struggled to keep up with the doctor's demands. Somehow, Vanilla also fought her way into the middle of the chaos and placed a gentle hand on the kit's chest as she scooped up the hovering chao in her other arm. After a short couple of minutes that seemed to last an eternity, Tails finally removed his self-constricting hold on his belly as the pain subsided. Seeing that the emergency had passed and after a quick nod from the doctor, the nurse removed the breathing mask from the fox's face again.

"Chao?" Cheese spoke in a sad voice as it flew up to Tails' reclining head. Cheese had no doubt thought that it had caused Tails' sudden pain by jumping on his stomach, and it looked like it was about to cry because it was so sorry.

"You didn't hurt me, Cheese," Tails quickly corrected the distraught little chao. "That was only my disease that made my chest hurt just now, not you."

"Chao, Chao!" Cheese shouted as it flew around in circles, clearly happy to know that it hadn't done anything to hurt its friend by accident.

"Man, that looked painful, little bro," Sonic assessed the latest episode of Tails' unexplainable illness.

"It was," Tails simply agreed with his brother in a tone that suggested that Sonic had said the world's biggest understatement. The fact that Tails didn't even try to downplay the severity of his pain told Sonic more than if he had described the feeling in detail. "As a matter of fact, they get worse every time, and I think that they are happening sooner than ever now."

"Don't worry, Mr. Prower," the doctor butted in again, "Station Square Medical Center has all the latest equipment and supplies to find what is wrong with you, and I have already called in a team of the nation's topmost bio-researchers in the field of medicine to personally investigate your case."

"Sounds expensive!" the unusually quiet Amy the hedgehog called out from the sofa in a corner of the room.

"Don't worry, Amy," Chris jumped in at her remark, "My father said that anything that it takes to get Tails well again, he would pay for it personally."

"Good old Nelson!" Chuck spoke up from his seat in the other corner. "I knew that I had raised that boy right!"

"Well, I'm sorry to leave, but I really have to get back to my class," Mr. Steward broke the short moment of silence. "Chris, remember not to fall behind in your homework while you are out of school helping Tails. I want you to always help your friends, but not if it means losing your grades as a result."

"I won't, Mr. Steward," Chris assured his teacher, "Thanks for letting me stay here."

"You're doing the right thing by being here. I would never dream of stopping you," Mr. Steward said towards the considerate boy. "Well, farewell to all of you! And I hope you start improving soon, Tails," He spoke to the whole room before muscling his way through the crowd and out the door. He was followed by the doctor and the nurse as the door closed behind them.

"So, I've really been asleep from over two whole days?!" Tails asked for confirmation of the startling fact.

"Yes, honey," Vanilla assured the fox that it was the truth. "You haven't so much as opened your eyes since Sonic and Chuck carried you out of the X-Tornado last Saturday."

"Then that explains why I feel so hungry!" Tails blurted out as he rubbed his loudly grumbling stomach. "Could I get something to eat, please?" he requested to no one in particular.

"I'm not sure if you want to ask that in here, buddy!" Sonic burst in with a jovial voice that warned of an incoming joke.

"Why not, Sonic?" Tails asked in hopes of a real answer instead of a witty remark.

"Because the grub here is hospital food, little bro! Everybody knows that hospital food is always the nastiest stuff in the world!" Sonic forewarned Tails about the quality of the food he would receive.

"Why don't we go make Tails some lunch, Amy?" Cream turned to the pink hedgehog that had been taking lessons from the legendary cook, Ella.

"Sure! We could even make lunch for everyone else while we're at it!" Amy accepted the mission enthusiastically. Now she had gotten an excuse to go do something helpful and maybe impress Sonic at the same time. She left the room with Cream and Cheese following her as they sought out a kitchen to work in. Now the small room was occupied only by Tails, Vanilla, Sonic, Chris, and Chuck.

Tails now took the break in dialogue to untie the back of the annoying hospital gown that had no doubt been put on him by the well-meaning nurse. Vanilla saw him attempting to take the single-piece gown off and assisted by guiding the garment through the gauntlet of tubes and wires that were hooked all over Tails' body. Tails let out a sigh of relief at removing the cumbersome and pointless robe as the fur on his whole torso expanded to its normal height now that the impeding cloth was gone. As he lay in his bed and stared at the ceiling in comfort, Tails started to blush as he felt yet another familiar urge, other than hunger, that forced him into an awkward situation. "Hey, guys," Tails quietly asked in a slightly embarrassed voice, "Where's the bathroom?"

"There's a small one through a door behind you to the right before you leave the room, Tails," Chris answered like a human GPS system. "But, you aren't supposed to get out of bed unless the doctor tells you to, so I can't show it to you," Chris concluded in a tone that belied that he would enforce the doctor's rule to the limit.

"But, what if I need to use it?!" Tails asked in shock. "Can't I get out of bed for a quick pit stop?!"

"Relax, Tails!" Chuck calmly spoke to the fox as he began to resume his work on his laptop analyzing blood samples that had been taken from Tails while he was unconscious. "You were out for two days, but that doesn't mean your body stopped working entirely. The nurses had to put a catheter in for you. You do know what that is, right Tails?"

"Not really, but I think I could make a pretty good guess," the increasingly embarrassed fox said as he looked at the covers on his bed that obscured his view of the second tube that he could feel connected to his body, and this tube was nowhere near his arm. "But you are all still in here! I can't use the bathroom while I'm being watched!" Tails objected to the ridiculous situation. He didn't mind much about having Sonic, Chuck, or even Chris in the room as he answered nature's call, they were all guys after all, but Vanilla was a different story. She was a full-grown, proper woman, and everything Tails had ever been taught said that no male should go to the bathroom while a female was watching, especially if they are older than you.

"Don't worry about us, buddy!" Sonic tried to convince the fox. "We aren't gonna watch you or anything. Besides, we can't see a thing anyways because of the bed covers!"

"Still…" Tails began to object again. He knew that Sonic was right, and if this argument continued much longer, he also knew that there would be nothing to argue about as he felt his bladder straining to be released.

"If it makes you feel more comfortable, honey, I can leave for a little while," Vanilla offered to compromise with the inconvenienced fox. Her motherly wisdom had already told her that Tails wasn't really scared of going in front of the other men in the room; it was her that Tails was afraid of upsetting. After receiving a small nod from the uncomfortable fox, she quietly left the room to find where her daughter and Amy had run off to.

Tails now felt much better after the motherly rabbit had left the room. Somehow, Vanilla had once again shown the ability to read his mind and say for him what he was too scared to mention to her. Even without her presence, however, it still took him a couple of minutes to work up the courage to relieve himself while Sonic, Chris, and Chuck pretended to look busy. A few years ago when he was still just a little kit and had just met Sonic, Tails had finally kicked the bad habit of going in bed at nights, but now that only made it harder to do on purpose. It was by far the most awkward situation Tails had ever faced in his life, and he prayed that the catheter wouldn't break or fall out and make him accidentally wet the bed.

With the situation finally behind him and his bladder now empty, Tails returned to thinking about what had happened to him in his dream. _One of those creatures called me his son, and the other one knew my name! They both looked so familiar, and I swear that their voices were, too! But, I know for a fact that I have never seen or heard them before in my life! _He suddenly remembered the vision of the two figures walking away into the mist. They had walked side-by-side, until one of them had grabbed the other by the waist and then… _Two tails!! The male fox had had two tails that it used to fly them both away! Could that mean that it was my dad?! And that would make the other fox my mom!! But, what they said still doesn't make sense. I guess I could understand why my mother would be sad about not being there for me, but why would my dad blame himself for all the hard times I ever had in my life? And, what is this curse he said that he passed on to me? Does it have anything to do with my illness right now?!_

"Done yet, little bro?" Sonic asked Tails as he noticed that the fox was distracted by deep thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, yeah! I'm finished, now," Tails had to think for a moment to remember where his conversation with Sonic had last ended. Striking his classic hand-behind-the-head pose of embarrassment, Tails added, "That had to be the most awkward situation I have ever had in my whole life, Sonic!" Tails informed the hedgehog of the strange sensation of having his personal privacy majorly violated for the first time.

"Oh, come on, buddy!" Sonic joked with the embarrassed fox. "It can't have been as bad as the time I stuck your hand in a bowl of warm water while you slept. I'll always remember your face when you got up the next morning, little bro! Ha ha ha!!" Sonic burst out in laughter as he remembered the practical joke he had played on Tails years ago when they had lived together in what was now Tails' Workshop in the Mystic Ruins back on Mobius.

"That wasn't funny!" Tails yelled at the sadistically laughing hedgehog, who instantly stopped laughing at the sound of sincerity in his brother's voice. He remembered very well Sonic's cruel little joke because it had really frightened the then no more than 7 year old fox. When he had woken the morning after Sonic's set up to a urine soaked bed, the small kit had been traumatized by his unintentional mistake. Sonic had then made it worse by joking with Tails that he may need to go back to wearing diapers at night. This had caused the poor kit to bawl his eyes out in shame, which, in turn, had told Sonic that his little joke had gone way too far. Even after Sonic apologized to his little brother and explained to him how the young fox wasn't to blame for the accident, it had still taken several days till Tails had forgiven him for the cruel joke, and, to this day, Tails still refused to laugh at the memory of the event. Tails pushed the somehow very prevalent memories of his childhood aside as his stomach began to make a loud chorus in his belly that everyone who was left in the room could plainly hear. "I hope the girls come back with some food soon. I'm starving!" the hungry fox broke the uneasy silence.

"Ha, I guess if it's not one thing, it's another with you, Tails!" Chuck commented on the needy fox as he continued studying Tails' blood samples on his laptop. All four guys laughed at the bit of light humor as they anxiously awaited the return of the women with their lunch.


	13. Chapter 12: It Runs in the Family Part 1

Lethal Mutation

Helloooooo, readers! I am really excited today because I have a really interesting half of a chapter to give to you! But wait, that's not all! I also have the extreme pleasure to announce not one, not two, but THREE new reviewers!! (video of an intense rave party in which everyone is screaming their heads off in excitement) There's your rave party, Zachary W, happy? No, but seriously, super thanks to Deluxe489, brave kid, and Tai Sky! (if he ever gets up to this chapter, that is.) Thanks very much as well to my usual reviewers: (deep breath) Rae Logan, Drandu, Shika Kev Prower, ChibiRyou200, Asher Tye, and Zachary W! (Nicend and Pokelad, where'd you go?!) Every time I get a review it seriously makes my dance around the room in happiness! (which is easier since I don't have a roomate as of yet.)

Moving on to the story, now. Yes, this is another of my two-part chapters. Yes, this is the chapter in which everthing about Tails' strange illness and his mutations come together at last. Yes, his parents are also extremely involved in that as well. Yes, this chapter is full of intense emotions and painful histories. And yes, starting all my sentences in this description with the same word is extremely annoying! ;) Don't forget my forum that I created exclusively for this story if you get lost or want to pose your own ideas of how everything fits together in the end! Get ready for the most important chapter plotwise in this whole story, which starts now!

Chapter 12: It Runs in the Family (Part One)

Station Square Medical Center was a bustle of activity since it was around noon, the busiest time of day for the overworked staff. However, in Tails' room the closed door gave the room's occupants a sense of peacefulness as they all sat around following a very delicious and much appreciated lunch provided by the female members of the group.

"How did you like your sandwich, Sonic?" Amy asked the blue hedgehog while clasping her hands in front of her in anticipation.

"It sure beat hospital food, Amy!" Sonic attempted to congratulate the pink hedgehog. Everyone had now finished eating the delicious meal that Amy and Cream had created. They were now all sitting around Tails' room in peace as the conversation took a turn for the worse.

"WHAT?! I made those sandwiches especially for you, and you compare them to HOSPITAL FOOD?!" Amy shouted back at the extremely rude hedgehog.

"Now, Amy," Chuck tried to diffuse the situation as the pink hedgehog's face became red with rage, "Sonic meant that as a compliment, not an insult."

"Well, I'll show him a compliment!!" Amy shouted back as she pulled out her trusty Piko Piko Hammer. She may have forgiven Tails for interrupting her breakfast two days ago, but she had clearly still harbored a grudge against the hedgehog who had purposefully gone into space and left her behind. "How about I ask him how good my swing is!!"

"Amy, wait!" Chris shouted while he moved between the two hedgehogs. "You can't swing that in here! You might accidentally hit someone!"

"That's the idea!!" Amy replied as she advanced on the blue hedgehog who was sitting across the small room.

"This won't be pretty," Tails commented from the relative safety of his hospital bed. Suddenly, a high-pitched voice intruded on the group's assembly.

"Ha ha ha! This I gotta see!" the diminutive, flying robot cried from the open window across from Tails' bed.

"Bokkun?! What are you doin' here little fella?" Sonic averted his attention to the small, black robot that had shown up uninvited.

"Hey! I'm not little!! And I could take you any day, Sonic!" Bokkun shouted in an angry voice.

"Buzz off, you little pipsqueak!" Amy now turned her anger on the intruding robot that seemed to only pick fights that he couldn't win.

"Hummph! Fine then! I did have an important message for you, but I guess you don't want it!" Bokkun saucily replied as he used his built-in jetpack to hover out the open window again.

"Wait a minute, please, Bokkun?" Cream spoke up from the sofa next to her mother, "What was the message about?" Her soft-spoken question calmed the occupants of the room by appealing to everyone's curiosity.

"Actually, it's not a message," Bokkun said as he hovered back into the room, clearly never intending to leave at all despite his threats. "Doctor Eggman wants to talk to all of you personally in a live video conference, so you'd better listen good and mind your manners!" The small, black robot proceeded to pull out another small, yellow television from his green duffle bag.

"What does Eggman want this time?" Amy inquired from the tiny, but extremely mischievous, robot.

"I don't know!" Bokkun retorted in a voice of annoyance at how everyone expected him to know the message that he was delivering. "All I know is that it is very important and has something to do with your sick buddy," Bokkun pointed towards the occupant of the sole room's bed.

"What?! Why does Eggman need to talk to me?!" Tails shouted out, surprised by the sudden attention of everyone in the room.

"Grrrrrr…! I already told you losers, I don't know!!" Bokkun yelled, clearly very aggravated at the constant questioning of the group in the room or perhaps the fact that Eggman had left him out of the loop as well. "Now do you want me to turn this thing on or not?!" the small robot concluded as he hovered at the foot of Tails' bed with the mini, yellow television.

"Alright, let's hear it," Chuck accepted Eggman's invitation as everyone in the room gathered around Tails' bed to see the small TV screen that Bokkun held in his hands. The TV turned on but remained completely black as the speakers carried the Doctor's voice to the room.

"Greetings, my most bothersome hedgehog and friends! I would like to… hold on! Decoe, Bocoe, are we on?" Eggman shouted to his assistants on the other side of the screen with him.

"We should be, Doctor," Decoe's voice came from the blank TV set.

"Then why is my screen showing nothing but black on their end?!" Eggman questioned his assistants on the technical difficulties.

"There shouldn't be anything wrong with the connection, Doctor," Bocoe's voice now replied. "Maybe something is wrong with the camera?"

"Well then, fix it!" Eggman shouted, clearly enraged at the delay. The sound of tinkering came from the small TV as the screen sputtered with occasional static.

"I don't see anything wrong with it, Doctor Eggman!" Decoe at last said while the screen remained pitch black.

"Aaargg! Do I have to do everything myself?" Eggman asked his useless assistants as footsteps were heard approaching the camera. "Let's see…Hmmm…" the Doctor mumbled as he inspected the faulty camera. After a few seconds pause, Dr. Robotnik's voice burst across the speakers louder than ever, "YOU IMBECILES!! You left the lens' cap on!" The TV screen showed a close up of the obese Doctor's face as he removed the lens' cap on his camera and quickly dashed back into his chair.

Imaginary, large sweat drops appeared on the backs of the heads of everyone in Tails' hospital room, including Bokkun. "Now, that is just plain embarrassing," Chuck muttered under his breath so that only the current occupants of the room could hear.

"Ahem! Greetings, Sonic and friends!" Eggman spoke after regaining his composure, "I am glad that you volunteered to talk with me on such short notice. Normally I wouldn't be this rude in interrupting with your visit to your foxy little friend, but I have something to show you that you could say is the matter of life and death!"

"OK, Egghead," Sonic interrupted the evil genius's ranting, "I'll bite. What's so important?"

"I'm so glad you asked, Sonic the hedgehog," Eggman answered the blue hero's question. "Although I would have thought that Tails would be the one who is most curious to hear what I have to say, seeing as how it concerns his current state of health."

"How did you know that Tails was in the hospital, Eggman?!" Amy shouted at the TV.

"Whoo ho ho ho ho! You can't do anything without me knowing about it, you fools! How do you think I knew about Tails' little flu bug last week? Did you really believe that it was just a lucky guess? Please, give me some credit!" Eggman told the gathered crowd as he pretended to sound hurt by their lack of faith in his abilities. "I know everything about your foxy friend's strange pains, his seizures, and his recent coma. Although, I must say, I am surprised to see that you have recovered so quickly, Tails," Eggman finished by addressing the fox that he had obviously assumed was still unconscious.

"Enough chit-chat! What do you know about Tails' disease, Egghead?!" Sonic spoke up, clearly agitated by the so far meaningless conversation.

"Patience, you blue rodent," Eggman insulted the impatient Sonic. "I have recently discovered something in my grandfather's logs that your little yellow friend may find interesting. Would you care to see what I have found?" Eggman asked the question that he knew could only be answered in the affirmative.

"Wait a minute, guys!" Tails interrupted before someone decided to answer the Doctor's question. "Eggman has tricked us way too many times before for us to believe him now. What makes you think that this isn't just another trick?"

"Ah, Tails! Always the cautious one, aren't you?" Eggman spoke again with a hint of mirth in his voice. "You have every right to be suspicious, but I assure you that after I show you these videos, you will believe that every word I said is true." Eggman turned his head to address his off-screen assistants before he gave them his orders. "Start the presentation, you buffoons!"

"Yes, sir!" came two robotic voices in tandem as the screen shifted to a view of Eggman's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik before the audio again continued.

"This is my grandfather, Doctor Gerald Robotnik's, video research logs on his work on what he called Project Guardian," Eggman's voice broke in before the video started playing.

"Research log, Gerald Robotnik, introduction to experiment," Gerald's image spoke as the recording commenced. "Over time I have learned much about these other beings called Mobians. When I first stepped through the portal into their world, I saw only potential specimens and inferiority because the dominant creatures on Mobius were all anthropomorphic versions of the dumb animals of Earth. Like a deranged madman, I harvested and experimented on them, thinking that they were no better than normal animals, but I soon found out that this was very wrong. These Mobians are a mostly peaceful people composed of many different civilizations and species that far surpass our own human race. However, as I have painfully become aware, they lack one thing to protect them against other threats like myself, an organized Mobian Army. I have decided to try and redeem my past misuse of these creatures by supplying them with the knowledge of self-defensive warfare and forming a Volunteer Planetary Guard that will protect Mobius from now on against future threats to its remarkable cultures and civilizations. For this, I have perfected a special virus that has the increased ability to cause largely beneficial mutations in Mobian subjects. Since an army must have strong leaders, I will administer the virus to the most worthy of command first. The subject types to be administered the virus are a male and a female each of the rabbit, echidna, hedgehog, gator, dog, cat, bat, and fox species. All of the test subjects were chosen for their already high vitality and good physical condition from a list of volunteers. From now on, in addition to my general progress logs, I will keep short written addendums at the end of each log for the progress of the individual subjects. Tomorrow begins the infection of all subjects in Space Colony Ark's experimental subject containment area where they will be infected and isolated in comfortable cells for the duration of the experiment."

"Interesting stuff, Egghead," Sonic sarcastically interrupted during the break in between logs.

"I don't get it," Amy spoke out loud, "What does any of that have to do with Tails?"

"Oh, you'll see!" Eggman replied. "Play the next log, Bocoe!" The screen went to static as the face of Gerald Robotnik finally reappeared and began speaking.

"Project Guardian, head researcher's log, 24 hours after first exposure to mutagenic virus," Gerald began the next entry. "Disaster has already struck my experimental subjects. The potency of the mutagenic virus had been seriously underestimated in its initial harmful effects to its host. Exactly half of the subjects have succumbed to a harsh illness directly resulting from the virus. The male subjects of the echidna, rabbit, hedgehog, and cat species and the female subjects of the gator, dog, bat, and fox species have all died by infection to the virus. All other subjects are still recovering and seem stable. It is fortunate for this experiment that no entire species has lost both male and female test subjects. However, no change has been seen in the subjects' appearance as of yet. If all my surviving experimental subjects do not see marked improvement in their abilities after they recover, then this experiment will be a failure, and I will have only succeeded in murdering more innocent Mobians. Oh, please forgive your foolish grandfather, Maria!" the log ended with Gerald's plea to the person he had anticipated would find the log first, instead of Eggman.

"How terrible!" Cream blurted out at the end of the log. "He killed all those people just to test his virus!"

"That's right," Eggman's voice returned across the paused screen, "But, before you call my grandfather a murderer, keep in mind that all his experimental subjects were volunteers. At first, my grandfather planned to investigate the effects of the virus in hopes of aiding Mobians to become stronger and more capable. However, the government had other plans when they heard about his idea for a Mobian army, as you will see later. Next log, hurry!" the Doctor rushed his assistants.

"Project Guardian, Gerald Robotnik's log, 48 hours after exposure to virus," the recording continued on. "All surviving subjects have completely recovered and now show both increased muscle and brain activity. The survivors of each race are now slightly stronger and smarter than most other Mobians of their own race. Each different species has also shown a huge boost in the affinities that they were already naturally disposed to in addition to the generalized improvements. The cat and bat species have developed uncanny reflexes unmatched by any other living being. The surviving female hedgehog has demonstrated remarkable healing powers and endurance that make permanent physical injury all but impossible. The remaining male dog specimen seems to be able to sniff out and identify any substance known to man as well as having a kind of sixth sense for danger. The gator and echidna races seemed to attain an even higher level of musculature improvement and fighting power than their already super strong, pre-test records. The male fox has developed an enormous capacity for knowledge and higher-level thinking, with a particular interest in mechanics and engineering. Lastly, the rabbit test subject also seems to show incredible hearing capabilities and even slight physic powers such as the levitation of small objects. I have now made these Mobians better than ever, making this experiment a debatable success, despite the high cost in lives incurred at first."

"Any questions so far?" Eggman's voice came from the TV's speakers as the screen paused at the start of the next clip and shifted back to Eggman.

"Yeah, when will this start to make sense, Eggman?" Sonic replied impatiently.

"You never were one to appreciate a good story, eh, Sonic?" Eggman goaded the pacing hedgehog. "Just watch, it gets better! Play the next entry!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Decoe responded off-screen before the video clip resumed.

"Project Guardian, head researcher's log, 72 hours from exposure to virus," Gerald Robotnik again rambled on. "The experimental subjects continue to improve and their new skills are being refined by practice. The female rabbit's physic powers show the most improvement as she can now levitate herself for short periods of time. The male fox also shows an unlimited ability for intelligence that makes him quite the MacGyver as he slipped his containment cell today after rewiring the force field generators. All other subjects seem to shine better in combat training, which is never difficult enough for them. My government superiors have become concerned that a revolt from these super-Mobians would be unstoppable and have demanded a security measure that will keep them obedient to their masters and creator. I, on the other hand, am very anxious to see if a second exposure to the virus could further strengthen the experimental subjects. Thus, I have created a new strain of the mutagenic virus that also causes the subject's body to produce lethal amounts of a potent bio-toxin that must be offset by a regular injection of antidote. This ensures that any revolt would mean the loss of this antidote and the eventual death of the subject. All remaining subjects were infected by this new strain at precisely 16:00 standard time today."

"Hold up there, Eggman!" Chuck told him to stop the recording before it moved on to the next log entry. "So this new virus is poisonous as well as causes mutations?!"

"Weren't you listening, you second-rate scientist?!" Eggman addressed the confused Chuck. "This new, improved virus causes the host to mutate just like the first one did, but now an added new mutation causes the cells of anything that is infected to produce their own bio-toxin as well. This means that, without the antidote being administered regularly, the subject's own body will eventually produce enough bio-toxin to kill themselves."

"That's cruel!" Tails objected from his bed as he heard Eggman's explanation.

"Actually, I consider it to be a stroke of genius!" Eggman proudly said. "Now for the next part, and listen closely to this one." The TV shifted back to the continuing cycle of videos.

"Project Guardian, Gerald Robotnik's research logs, 24 hours after second infection by modified virus," the repetitive sounding intro began. "The bat, dog, and, very surprisingly, hedgehog specimens have succumbed to the rigors of the second exposure to the modified virus. All other specimens are still currently critically ill following the second dosage of the virus, and I find myself both appalled and yet relieved at the usefulness of these sound-proof containment cells. The amount of improvements that the virus can safely cause without seriously harming the host in some great way is becoming apparent. The bunny specimen seems to be permanently paralyzed from the neck down from unseen complications due to overexposure. The gator and echidna subjects seem to show a significant drop in IQ to below pre-test levels, but have kept all, if not more, of their improved strength. The surviving female cat test subject is now extremely UV sensitive and has begun shedding profusely. Regrettably, the fox specimen seems to be facing a much more serious illness from his second exposure than any of the other remaining experimental subjects, and I would not expect him to last the night. Oddly, he is also the only subject not to show any noticeable negative mutagenic side effects from the second exposure, except a strange, unexplainable growth near the root of his tail. Tomorrow, it will be time for the first administrations of the preventative antidote to the bio-toxins now being produced in the survivors' veins."

A moment passed by before Eggman's voice was heard from the TV's speakers, "Why are you stopping here, bolt-brains?! Keep going until I tell you to stop!"

"Sorry, Doctor!" two mechanical voices spoke in tandem in response to their instructions.

"Project Guardian, Gerald Robotnik research logs, 48 hours after second infection and 12 hours after first antidote administration," the recording continued on without further interruption. "More bad news as a clear mistake on my part has led to the death of the gator specimen. I have learned that the neurotoxin that my new virus causes the host to produce is manufactured at a proportional amount per body mass, but the level of toxin needed to kill any organism is relatively constant. In lay man's terms, the bigger the infected individual is, the more toxins its body produces and the quicker it dies. Failing to realize this, I administered an equal amount of antidote to all participants, which proved inadequate for the male gator subject. As a result of the excess, untreated venom that built up, the subject experienced sharp chest pains, followed by progressively worse seizures, and ending in a fatal coma in which the subject's vital functions ceased to operate entirely. All other subjects responded well to the treatment, especially the lighter cat specimen. However, no improvement has been made in the adverse mutative side effects of the bunny, cat, and echidna subjects. Fortunately, they have all also shown astounding improvement in their enhanced special abilities. The loss of bodily control by the bunny subject has been recompensed by the ability to create powerful physic force fields and levitate almost any size object indefinitely. The rapidly balding cat specimen now shows reflexes so highly tuned that it has no trouble in dodging a single bullet at close range. And, the spirited, but tragically dense, female echidna demonstrates the power to destroy even six inch steel plates with her bare fists. Not previously mentioned above is the male fox, which has somehow miraculously pulled through his prolonged sickness and, once again, proves to be the most interesting specimen of the bunch. The area around his natural tail that had been merely a large growth yesterday evening has sprouted a second, identical tail overnight! The subject appears to also have discovered a way to rotate his twin tails in a rotor-like fashion to achieve flight. It would seem that, other than no longer being able to blend in with his peers, the fox's second mutation was actually beneficial instead of detrimental like the others. I have no theories on why the fox specimen would show such different results from the others, or how his fragile body has endured two intense periods of sickness that have proved lethal to much more hardy species."

"Some of that sounded very familiar…" Tails observed during the much needed break between videos.

"Yeah! Like those symptoms that poor male gator had before he died from the neurotoxins!" Chris recalled the short description that had fit Tails' current illness to the limit of credibility.

"True, Chris, but I was thinking more about the male fox used in Gerald's experiment," Tails confessed as he wondered aloud. "Didn't he say that the fox grew a second tail as a result of the virus?! What if I am related to him somehow? Maybe I got the virus from him!" Tails speculated in shock at what that would mean.

"Hey! Stop getting ahead of me, you furry little pest!" Eggman's voice angrily rose as he interrupted Tails' train of thought. "Now listen here, no one likes a person who ruins a story before it's finished! Only one more log entry to go, then I'll explain everything!" The TV again switched to a very static-filled picture of Gerald Robotnik leaning closer to the camera than usual.

"Project Guardian, Dr. Gerald Robotnik, one day after last transmission," the clearly flustered man said as he turned towards a loud banging sound from the off-screen door to his main research lab. "Space Colony Ark is currently being raided by the military commandos from our own supplier, G.U.N.! They must have decided to steal my research and use it for military purposes. This cannot be tolerated! My attempts to form an army of super-powered Mobians where meant to preserve the peace and safety of their world, not become the ultimate weapons of this world! I have been able to send all remaining test subjects back to their homes in Mobius using the chaos emeralds' power. I then scattered the emeralds through the portal before it closed and will erase all data on my experiments, save for this log which I have encrypted in a way that only my descendents, which I have also sent to the safety of Mobius to prevent their capture, could possibly retrieve it. I have also sent a complete set of information on the virus and its bio-toxin with each of the four surviving experimental subjects in hopes that they might be able to duplicate the antidote for self-administration. However, it is highly unlikely that the subjects will be able to decipher the proper treatment and find the means for producing the antidote before their bodies accumulate lethal amounts of neurotoxins. Perhaps the highly intelligent fox specimen stands the best chance of devising an antidote that may prolong his life, but the last scans that I took for all four remaining subjects showed that the toxin will eventually become resistant to the antidote and all of the surviving specimens will die in less than a year, regardless of treatment. Project Guardian has utterly failed to accomplish my goals of improving Mobians' lives, but it must have shown invaluable military potential as GUN's presence now proves." Gerald suddenly turned away from the screen at the sound of the metal door into his current room being blown off its hinges by a satchel charge.

"Come with us quietly, Doctor Robotnik!" a man's voice was heard from the doorway. "If you so much as try to move a muscle or attempt to destroy any of your research, we will kill your granddaughter!"

The image of Gerald Robotnik stood stiff as a little girl's scream made its way across the room from the doorway the troops now occupied. "Maria!! You were supposed to leave like I told your parents to do earlier!"

"I'm sorry, grandpa!" the young girl shouted back. "I had to help Shadow! They would have killed him!!"

"Oh, Maria," Gerald spoke in a mixed voice of irritation and gratitude, "I don't know how you ever turned out so different from your family. Despite our best intentions, we have only created weapons and diseases meant to destroy, yet you have always thought only about helping others. I realize that I am now indeed hated by both worlds, but for the safety of them all I must now lose you as well! Forgive me, Maria!!" the conflicted Doctor Robotnik senior yelled his request as he hit the button to terminate the log and encode his research permanently. The log entry went black as a fraction of a single gunshot was heard off-screen. Everyone in Tails' hospital room gasped in shock at the sound they wished had been cut off completely.

"Nooo!" Cream screamed at the blank TV screen before she buried her head into Vanilla's skirt and proceeded to soak it with her tears. Cheese hovered over to Cream's shoulder and patted the young bunny on the head as it began to pour out tears as well. Everyone else around the bed in Tails' hospital room just stared at the blank screen in shock as they realized what the final gunshot had meant.

"Shadow did say that Maria was taken away from him back when we fought Eggman on Space Colony Ark," Chris tearfully reminded everyone. He was the only one who had been able to appeal to the dark hedgehog because of his uncannily similar personality to Shadow's only friend, Maria. "But, I never thought that this was what he meant."

"Me neither," Sonic agreed as he finally understood why the only creature stronger than him had harbored so much hate for humanity.

"It's no wonder Gerald turned into an evil genius!" Chuck said as he, for the first time, pitied the madman who had almost destroyed the world posthumously with the vengeful plot to make Space Colony Ark into a giant bomb that almost succeeded in falling to Earth and detonating.

"What about me!!" Eggman's voice came from the small television as his picture again reappeared on the screen. "I may not have been born yet, but I still lost my sister to this fiasco! Don't you have any pity for me and my evil ways?" Eggman seemed to have been distracted by the current conversation and had forgotten who he was talking to.

"Never!" Amy coldheartedly remarked towards the evil genius that had caused too much trouble to be so easily forgiven. "You chose to be evil on your own, without the help of anyone else!"

"I would be deeply hurt by that remark, you pink brat, if it didn't happen to be entirely true!" Eggman chuckled as he confessed his ways, "I can't help it; I love being evil!! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho hoooo!" Eggman then shifted positions in his chair as he stopped laughing and proceeded with the promised explanation of the videos they had just seen. "But I had it easy compared to you, Tails! Although my parents died when I was young, you were an orphan almost at birth!"

"What?! What do you know about my parents, Eggman?!" Tails demanded an answer.

"First off, do you know who the male fox in my grandfather's experiment was, Tails?" Eggman began a line of questioning that would help the fox understand the difficult truth.

"Not really," Tails replied in a disappointed voice. "The logs never mentioned the subjects' names or where they had lived before they were captured."

"The logs that I showed you don't, but my grandfather also kept a written log of all such details," Eggman explained. "I would like to bring your attention to the first page on his fox test subjects before the virus was administered to them." Eggman's face was pushed to the left half of the screen as a typed computer document appeared on the right and scrolled down to a highlighted word in the middle of a paragraph. "The male fox's first name was Keylow. Does that ring any bells my foxy friend?"

"I know that name!" Tails responded in a shocked tone. "When I was just a little baby my foster parents used to mention a person that they called Keylow. They told me stories about how he used to heal people with rare diseases and make inventions that helped hundreds of Mobians live better. He was my hero because he was fabled to have two tails like me and be capable of flying with them like I do, but then they always said that he died before I was born from a strange disease. Wait! Does that mean…?"

"Yes, my furry, little nemesis. The legendary Keylow really did exist and was one of the four survivors of my grandfather's experiment," Eggman confirmed the obvious match. "However, there is also another half to his name that you might find more interesting. Try reading the rest of the name on your screen. The last half of his name was M. Prower."

"Prower?! Isn't that your last name too, Tails?" Chris burst in as he saw the yellow fox's face turn as pale as the white patches of fur on his mouth and chest.

"My father?! Keylow was my father?!" Tails barely managed to say as all his breath left his lungs suddenly. He had just been told roughly the human equivalent of being the son of Santa Claus.

"Indeed. He was married to your mother, Elisa Prower, before my grandfather recruited him for his virus testing experiment," Doctor Robotnik informed everyone of the information on the page displayed next to his face on the TV's screen.

"Of course! I get it now! Tails' father must have come back home to his wife on Mobius, and they had Tails before he died," Chuck speculated on the plausible timeline after Gerald's research logs had ended.

"Didn't your foster parents tell you anything about your real parents, sweetie?" Vanilla asked the fox as the color slowly began to return to his face.

"I was really little back then, but I was always told that my dad and my mom had died the same week I was born," Tails revealed his innermost sorrows that he had never told anyone before, even his self-proclaimed brother, Sonic. "My father supposedly was very ill, and he only got to see me for a few days before he passed away with me in his arms one night. They also say that because of my mutation, my mother had had lots of complications during her pregnancy and had died the night I was born from internal bleeding. I was taken home the day after my father died by my foster parents who were an old couple that took pity on me as a week-old orphan," Tails explained as he fought back the tears in his eyes. "It was years before I found out that I was adopted and that both of my parents had died the same week I was born. Even then, my foster parents refused to tell me who my real father and mother had been! They said that I wasn't old enough to worry about those kinds of things and that my father had sworn them not to tell me until my tenth birthday. Then, when I was just four years old, my foster parents also died from old age, and with them went any hopes of finding the identities of my real parents. I never saw a picture of what they looked like, I never found out their names, I don't even know where they were buried!" Tails shouted angrily through his tears before he dissolved into heaving sobs as he buried his face in his hands.

"Whoa, that's rough! But, why didn't you tell me this earlier, little bro?" Sonic said as he compassionately patted his adopted brother on the back as the fox wept. "You never told me anything about your life before I found you, even when I used to ask. I never dreamed that you would have had so much pain as just a small kid!"

"That's nothing, Sonic," Tails managed to speak without removing his hands from his watery eyes. "After my foster parents died, (sniffle) I was all alone. I went all over the countryside looking for a place to stay or just someone who'd be my friend. I survived by fixing things and selling my inventions to anyone who would give me money for food, but I was always ridiculed because of my second tail everywhere I went. Nobody wanted to help a freak like me, even if I was just a helpless little kid. I'm not sure how Keylow, I mean, my dad, managed to make people love him so much despite his second tail. No matter how hard I tried, everyone hated me!" Tails looked down at his two tails that he had wrapped around his body unconsciously in a self-made bear hug. He lifted the ends of his tails in front of his face and stared at them as if they were white-tipped, evil vipers that were posed to strike yet again. "My tails only got me bullied, not respected, and I never had the strength to fight back. I lived like that for years, all alone and despised by everyone, until I met Sonic one day. He was the first person I had ever met that didn't care that I was a freak and treated me like a real person instead of a nerdy, flying, circus sideshow, so I decided to live with him from then on. Since then, my tails have actually been really helpful in keeping up with him," Tails referred to the way he could use his twin tails as rotors behind him as he ran to stay caught up to the speedy hedgehog for short amounts of time.

"That's right, little bro!" Sonic tried to lighten the mood with his cheerful voice. "Your second tail isn't a bad thing. As a matter of fact, it's way cool! So what if some punks think that you're a freak? We all know what a great person you really are," Sonic said as he motioned to the occupants of the room now huddled around the fox's bedside.

"Except, my parents never got to know me like that, Sonic!" Tails bawled as the words came out of his mouth between sniffles.

"That's right, Tails," Eggman broke in with a malicious voice. "And, it's all your fault for that as well. Why, if you had just been born a normal Mobian fox, at least your mother would have still survived to care for you!"

"Don't listen to him! You can't be blamed for your mutation, Tails," Chuck consoled the emotionally distraught fox. "Gerald's virus affected your father's DNA. He probably knew that any kids he had would be born with his mutations as well."

"Of course he knew!" Eggman blurted out again. "Tails' father was a genius just to have found a temporary antidote for the bio-toxin before it eventually killed him. Surely, his research would have told him that any offspring he had would have a high chance of contracting the mutations spread by his virus."

"Then it was all my dad's fault!" Tails spoke up, enraged at his revelation. "He convinced my mom to have me even though he knew that I would also be infected by the virus and that she could die in the process! He was going to die anyway, but he is the reason my mom died, too! He is the person to blame for my whole life being so horrible!!" Tails screamed in a steady crescendo of volume as his hands gripped his tails in fists so tight that it sent throbs of pain up the fox's spine.

"Are we a part of your life that's horrible, too, Tails?" Cream asked the provocative question in an innocent and almost scared tone.

"Yeah, buddy," Sonic joined in, "Was becoming my little bro and right-hand man a bad thing?"

"No…" Tails muttered as he began to think things through. _Even though my life has been full of suffering because of my father, it is definitely worth living because of all the great friends I have now. Maybe my dad and mom really did care about me. They probably never meant for me to get my father's disease in the first place or for them both to die when I was so young. How could they have known the pain I would go through? _Tails felt himself drifting off into his mind as he tried to remember anything about his parents that he could hold on to as proof that they had loved him. He barely noticed his body falling back onto his bed as his world again turned black.


	14. Chapter 12: It Runs in the Family Part 2

Lethal Mutation

All right! Here it is, the much anticipated Part Two! (cheering audience) Wait, when did this story go to a live studio broadcast?! All you people, get out of my room! Ahem, anywho... Also a cause for celebration, is the addition of two new reviewers: Siran 774, and Kioke! (short movie clip of the Ewoks from Star Wars celebrating and dancing around huge bonfires from the end of Episode VI) OK, I just love Star Wars, too, so I had to use that clip! Anyways, I would also be horribly ungrateful not to mention my wonderful repeat reviewers: (don't you ever wonder if I get tired of this? Naw!) ChibiRyou200, Nicend, Asher Tye (whose review I am still trying to finish reading! lol), Pokelad, Rae Logan, Zachary W, and Shika Kev Prower! Your reviews for Part One of this chapter were all wonderful and kept me busy almost all day responding to them all! (which is the perfect way to spend half my weekend since I don't really have a life!) Also, thanks for the support on my version of Tails' past and my idea of what happened to Maria. Goes to show that just a little bit of angst and a brief mention of Shadow can go a long ways! ;)

But anyway, some of you I know have pretty much figured out the whole situation that Tails is now in from just Part One (if not, just ask Asher Tye or Orson Scott Card! lol), but for everyone else, this is where all the pieces should finally come together to explain not only Tails' current illness, but his past and his parents' fates as well. All shall be made clear, well, most of it anyways! Since this was originally written as a humongous single chapter, this second part takes place immediately after the last chapter ended, in case anyone needed to know that. (It is kind of understood, really, but I don't want to take any chances!) Get ready for the entire solution to the story of Tails' messed up body and past as I finally reveal the heart of my story!

Chapter 12: It Runs in the Family (Part Two)

_Now what?_ Tails thought as he opened his eyes in an unfamiliar world. _Wait! I'm back here again! Am I having another dream?_ He had reappeared in the same void filled by the slowly changing, multicolored mist as he had last time he was unconscious. _Where is this place? Why do I keep coming back here?_ the once again confused fox wondered. Tails was suddenly alerted from his inquisitive thoughts when he began to notice that the colors in the mist were beginning to change more rapidly. _This happened last time, too! This must mean that I'm having another seizure! What should I do?! _Tails remembered how closing his eyes, curling into a ball, and screaming his lungs out hadn't worked at all last time. _Hang on! If this is my dream, maybe I can stop the seizure from happening this time if I tell it not to,_ Tails quickly came up with his completely ridiculous, but only real remaining solution for surviving the soon to ensue chaos of lights.

He mustered his courage as he stood up straight the face down the quickening lights. "Stop it!! This is my dream and my body, so go away!!" Tails futilely shouted into the void. The lights seemed to respond to his command for a brief second as his newly found determination fought the oppressive chaos in his mind that threatened to overwhelm the poor fox. _I think it might be working!_ Tails happily thought to himself. Just then, the shifting lights instantly became a huge surrounding aura of pure chaos that flashed every color imaginable from all directions almost simultaneously. _No!! This is much worse than last time!_ the beleaguered fox kit thought as his instincts once again caused him to futilely try to block the vision surrounding him by closing his eyes and curling into a super-tight ball of fur. _I can't take it!! It's… too much!! I'm gonna lose my mind!!_ "HEEELLPPP!!" Tails again screamed at maximum volume, although he knew that it would do him no good. He couldn't even hear his own thoughts as he was completely overwhelmed by the unbearable light show that somehow was causing him extreme pain as it continued to assault the fox's acute senses. Tails began to thrash around on the invisible, solid floor beneath him in a desperate attempt to fight back against the oppressive lights. To his great relief, after only one minute of agony that seemed like several eternities for the fox cub, the lights once again stopped as suddenly as they had begun.

Still whimpering in a tight ball on the transparent floor, Tails refused to even stand back up for fear of the seizure restarting. As he lay teary-eyed on the ground, the fox swore he heard footsteps come from the fog as two upright figures approached him from behind. Turning to face them, Tails once again saw the spiritual bodies of his deceased parents. "Mom! Dad! It's me, Tails!" he wasted no time getting to his feet and announcing his presence to the approaching spirits.

"Oh, Miles, my darling!" Tail's mother spoke softly as his parents stopped right in front of his position. "Oh, how I wish that I could see you now, all grown up and with a life of your own. I have been a terrible mother to you, but I hope you know that I always loved you. Don't ever blame your father for what you had to go through, son, no matter what he says. I am the one who convinced him to have a son even though we both knew that you might be born with his mutations and that I would be at great risk. I thought that your life would be worth it all, and I sincerely hope that I was right. I am so sorry for everything that you had to go through because of me. Your father and I wish we could prove to you how much we loved you."

"I know you love me, mom! I never got to see your face or hear your voice until now, but somehow I always knew!" Tails tried to reassure his clearly very saddened mother.

"We will both watch you from beyond, Miles," Tails' mother continued to speak. "Our family has always had an unexplainable way of attracting good luck. My mother always told me stories when I was little about our family's ancestors watching over us by granting us good luck. I hope your life has been filled with luck and happiness since your father and I are gone. We will be your guardian angels in death, since we couldn't be your parents in life. I love you, Miles, and I always will no matter what happens to you!" The specter of Tails' mother broke down into tears as it slowly faded away into the colorless mist without her moving so much as an inch.

"Wait! Come back, Mom! Please!!" Tails yelled at the void where his mother had just stood seconds ago.

"I'm sorry, son," Tails' father finally began to speak. "I know that this must be hard for you, but your mother had to say goodbye before she died, and you weren't quite old enough to understand when you were born."

"Before she died?" Tails thought out loud. "But both of my parents have been dead for years! How could she talk to me now, if…?"

"You are probably more confused than I could possibly imagine by now, son," Tails' father interrupted the young fox mid-sentence. "First of all, you need to know that this is all an illusion. I and your mother are not really talking to you. I recorded this message and the one you probably had earlier into your subconscious brain cells to play back whenever you had a large seizure. I'm sorry that I couldn't do a better job, but my time is also short. You no doubt have been told by now that I died soon after your mother, and I can tell that I will indeed join her soon. But, before I go, I must tell you the truth about my death, and also yours."

"What?! But, I haven't died yet!" Tails exclaimed in shock at his father's last sentence.

"Miles, long before you were born, I volunteered to take part in an experiment to find ways to make Mobians stronger and more intelligent. As part of the experiment, I was infected with a virus that caused my body to mutate greatly. I gained more strength and stamina than the average Mobian fox, more intelligence than even the brightest of scholars, and my second tail, which you now wear." The figure of Tails' father cracked a small smile at the memory of his son's unusual birthmark. "I must admit, son, you were a very cute baby while I got to see you. I'll never forget how you would curl up in a little ball in my arms with your tails covering you like a tiny fur blanket."

Tails blushed slightly as he heard his father recall the one habit that he had never truly outgrown, despite its tendency to call more ridicule on him. _So, my father really did give me my super smart brain and my two tails, but I don't seem to have his improved strength or stamina. That means that not all of the mutated genes he got from the virus were given to me! But what about the gene that Eggman's grandfather created to make people's cells produce neurotoxins? Do I have that one, too?!_ Tails' face immediately lost its color as he realized what his father's previous statement about a "curse" had meant last time he had been unconscious.

"However, our second tails are not a gift as they might seem, son, but rather a branding that marks those who are destined for a horrible death," Tails' dad continued on with his face downcast. "Another mutation that arose was that my cells were naturally reprogrammed to produce a deadly neurotoxin that has an incredibly complex structure and an equally hard to produce anti-venom. This toxin slowly destroys the victim's body from within as the host suffers from frequent losses of consciousness, crippling pains in the abdomen, and seizures, as you are no doubt aware. The only reason that you are even alive now is because I managed to block the genes in your body that will produce this toxin by giving you a special injection when you were born, but it is already too late for me. I have managed to hold on as long as the antidote stayed effective, but I am soon finding out that no amount of cure can now stop my rapidly approaching demise."

_So that's why I have lived so long without feeling the effects of the bio-toxin,_ Tails finally understood. But no more than a second later, this critical fact spawned several new questions of equal importance. _If that's true though,_ Tails thought, _then why am I sick now? Did my father know that I would eventually start to be affected by the poison even after he blocked my genes? _Tails thought back to the beginning of his father's explanation for the answer to his questions. _Wait, he must have! Why else would he leave me a message in my mind that would only play when I had a seizure!_

"By now you have probably already guessed most of what I'm about to tell you, son," Keylow's image stared at Tails as the message ran on. "If you're anything like your dear old dad, then you now realize that I knew you would eventually become ill from your body's own poison, or else I wouldn't be leaving this message to you now. I worked hard before you were born to make sure that my gene blocking serum was specifically designed to never degrade or escape your body over time, but I couldn't give you enough as a just new-born kit to keep you safe as you grew up. As you are getting older, the cells in your body are becoming more numerous, and the excess gene blocker that I gave you at birth is being slowly used up trying to cover all the cells in your body. Now that you are an older boy, your body has grown to the point that my cure no longer covers all the cells in your body, and you have undeniably begun to feel the serious effects of the buildup of neurotoxins in your bloodstream. You may also have noticed a while ago that you started to become more susceptible to other diseases as well, due to your weakened body and the consumption of my cure, which I also designed to act as a strong antibiotic to always keep you healthy for me. I…Aaaah!" Tails father suddenly turned away as he clutched at a sudden pain in his chest.

A moment passed by before the ghostly figure again turned to face Tails once more, this time with a voice full of regret and pain. "Oh! I am so sorry, son! I tried my best to keep you from going through the pain that I felt, but I have failed you. Please, forgive me! I never expected to have to tell my own son that he was dying in a message I am leaving behind from my own death. What kind of dad would ever have to do such a thing?!" The figure of Tails' father began to cry profusely with tears that seemed to disappear as they fell to the floor. Keylow's body quickly joined them as he fell to his knees and pleaded with his son, "I am a horrible father, and I pray that when you come to see me and your mother soon, you will be able to forgive me! I can only imagine the life you must have led, all alone as an orphan. I know that it must be unbearable to live as a freak with no parents, no money, and a disfigurement that is far too obvious to hide. Your mother and I always wanted to be there for you, Miles. We knew that you would need us. Just please understand that, for what it's worth, we have always loved you, even after death," Tail's father concluded his heartfelt plea.

"Daddy!!" Tails shouted as he threw his mask of emotional strength that he had acquired from years of being around Sonic to the wind and ran up to hug his weeping father. Just as he reached the apparition and attempted to place his arms around his sobbing father, the image disappeared entirely from his grasp. Tails immediately realized that he was almost literally trying to catch a ghost as his eyes began to fill with tears at his loneliness. Tails took his father's place on the invisible ground the spirit had once stood on and shed long tears for his parents' agony and his own inevitable demise. He had no idea how long he had sat there crying and cuddling with his tails for comfort, but somehow his world managed to fade to black unnoticed before the fox found himself back in his bed in the hospital.

* * *

"He's awake!" Chuck shouted as Tails once again opened his eyes in his hospital room in Station Square Medical Center.

"Well, well, well! I thought that this might have been that fox's final gasp, but I guess he is a fighter after all!" Eggman taunted from the still operational live feed on the TV Bokkun carried.

"Oooohhh," Tails moaned as he tried to sit up in his bed again. He was shocked to find that he was unable to do so because of restraints that were now strapped across his body. "Hey, what's going on, guys? Why am I tied down like this?" Tails asked the occupants of the room in a slight panic at the sight of the sinister looking restraints on his arms, legs, and torso.

"We had to, buddy," Sonic appeared at Tails side with a shrug of his shoulders. "During your last seizure, you started to kick and jump around so much that you could have hurt yourself pretty bad if we didn't tie you down."

"How long was I out?" Tails quickly asked the next question that came to his mind.

"The seizure only lasted for a minute, but you stayed out cold for a few more minutes after it stopped," Amy answered as she assisted Sonic in releasing the fox from the restraining straps. Tails had just managed to sit up freely when a soft voice from across the room caught his attention.

"Are you really going to die, Tails?" Cream asked the groggy fox while her eyes quivered with fresh tears.

"Chao…?" Cheese muttered in the saddest little tone ever heard as it also looked Tails in the eyes for an answer. Tails could give no reply as he stared at the faces of the distraught duo.

"It all depends on how well you all cooperate in giving me what I want," Eggman butted in, saving the fox from an unenviable explanation. "Well, hello again, Tails! I'm sorry to say that for the few minutes that you were out cold, I took the liberty to explain to the others all about your dreadful disease. Would you care for me to explain it to you?" Eggman asked the yellow fox while he raised an eyebrow in anticipation of the look the news would bring to Tails' face. Instead, Eggman was the one who wore the funny expression as the young fox answered him in a way that he thought was impossible.

"I already know, Eggman," Tails declined the Doctor's explanation despite having missed it earlier. "When I got my two tails and my unusually high IQ from my dad, I also got the gene that is responsible for the bio-toxin that killed my father and the other four test subjects. Worst of all, my symptoms show that I must be very close to the lethal limits of the poison, so I probably only have a few more days to live at most." Tails' short, but informative, summary of what Eggman had just taken a full five minutes to tell them shocked everyone, most notably Eggman.

"How... How could you possibly know all that?!" Eggman stammered in response to the seemingly mind-reading Mobian Fox.

"Well, Ummm… My parents told me," Tails cringed as he realized how ridiculous his explanation was going to sound.

"What?! But I thought that your parents were dead. How could they tell you anything?" Amy responded in a stunned voice.

"I can see them in my dreams during my seizures," Tails tried to explain the impossible situation. "My father left messages in my mind that only play when I have a seizure, and in them he told me all about my mutations and how it was making me sick by producing the poison in my body."

"Are you tellin' me that this is all real, and Eggman has been telling the truth this whole time, buddy?!" Sonic asked Tails in shock as his last hopes that this wasn't really happening were blasted to smithereens.

"Of course I have, you ungrateful, blue rodent!" Eggman shouted from the TV's speakers. "The only thing I don't understand is how Tails has survived for this long without the antidote. He should have died years ago from the bio-toxins that his body has been producing since he was born!"

"My father said that he found a way to block the gene that makes my body produce the bio-toxin, but it still wouldn't be enough when I got older and grew some more," Tails informed everyone of his late father's explanation for his survival so far.

"Of course!" Chuck interjected as he understood the mystery of Tails' perfect health before a week ago. "The cure Keylow designed for Tails must have been extremely potent and also strengthened his immune system a lot, which explains why Tails has always been healthy until recently. But now that Tails has grown more since he was a baby, his body has more cells producing the toxins than the gene blockers can prevent."

"That explains why Tails got so sick after our ski trip," Chris brought attention to the series of missed warning signs of Tails' inevitable doom. "His body was already starting to be affected by the toxins which weakened him so that he couldn't fight off the Mobian Flu on his own."

"There may have been signs before that, Chris," Chuck broke in with a tone that betrayed he was mad at himself for not seeing Tails' illness coming.

"What do you mean, Chuck? Has something else happened to my little bro that I don't know about?!" Sonic questioned the saddened scientist.

"I'm afraid so, Sonic. Remember in the lab a couple weeks ago, Tails?" Chuck unwillingly reminded Tails of the strange occurrence.

"Oh, yeah! I never told you, Sonic, but the day before we went on the ski trip I suddenly fainted in the underground lab while I helped Chuck," Tails recounted the trivial event that he had almost completely forgotten. He was rewarded with a stare of disbelief and anger from the overly concerned hedgehog at the fact that Tails hadn't informed him of such an important incident. Not wanting a lecture from his brother, Tails quickly cut the blue hedgehog off, "I'm sorry, Sonic! We thought it was because I hadn't eaten anything for lunch before I made the long trip into Station Square that afternoon. I felt much better after supper, so I thought Chuck was right and decided that I didn't need to worry you over nothing."

"Well, it sure doesn't seem like nothing now, does it, little bro?!" Sonic accidentally let his anger out on the one person he wanted to comfort.

"We couldn't have known about Tails' father and Gerald's virus back then, Sonic!" Chuck came to Tails' and his own defense as he saw the young fox's fright at the unexpected wrath from his best friend.

"Well, well! I can see that this is a bad time, but I would really like to get back to the reason I contacted you in the first place!" Eggman interrupted, clearly annoyed at the long conversation that had nothing to do with him. "As you probably have guessed, I'm not in the business of delivering bad news unless there is something I can gain in the process, so here it is. I have had the good fortune to run across a small amount of the antidote that will save Tails' life for at least a few more days," Eggman offered the tantalizing nugget of hope to the doomed fox and his friends.

"Well then, hand it over, Eggman!!" Sonic yelled at the TV screen.

"Do you really expect me to give you such valuable information for free?" Eggman smiled as the conversation once again centered around him. "Come now, no doctor worth his job gives out medicine without a proper payment first!"

"What do you want this time?" Amy asked the hard bargaining Doctor.

"Well, since this antidote won't really save your foxy friend's life for long, I was thinking that it was pretty worthless to all of us," Eggman began talking again in his most persuasive voice. "However, I think that I will offer it as a trade for a sample of Tails' DNA so that I can recreate Keylow's ingenious gene blocker cure for you as well. I know that it's unfair to me, but your friend will benefit both ways, so think about it!"

"I don't buy it, Egghead!" Sonic shouted out at the deceptive Doctor. He knew that Eggman must have an ulterior motive for helping his little brother. "Why couldn't Chuck here just get some of his scientist pals and do it themselves?"

"Oh, he's more than welcome to try, Sonic!" Eggman gloated his enormous pride. "But, I doubt that even your best scientific minds could possibly decode Tails' DNA in time. Besides, even if they could, they wouldn't know which genes produce the neurotoxins and which ones make his fur yellow! My grandfather's research has this information, and with a good sample of Tails' blood to analyze myself, I should be able to recreate his late father's gene blocking serum within a few days," the prideful Eggman concluded.

"Hold on, Eggman!" Amy loudly called out towards the TV screen. "I know you better than this! You said yourself that you would never help Tails unless you had something to gain from it, so what's the catch? How much will this gene blocker cure cost us?"

"Oh, just the usual," Eggman responded. "No need to make things complicated, so how about I just take all six of your chaos emeralds? Six little gems for your furry, yellow friend's life, Hmmm…? That sounds perfectly fair to me for all the work I will have to do in such a short time."

"No deal, Eggman!" Tails projected Sonic's earlier anger out tenfold. "I would rather die than let you get all the emeralds!"

"But Tails, that's exactly what will happen if we don't get you that antidote soon!" Sonic worriedly reminded his determined partner.

"Sonic's right, Tails," Chuck surprisingly sided with the concerned hedgehog. "Without the information that Eggman has, I can't possibly make a cure in time to save you. This time we have no choice but to give him what he wants."

"I don't care!!" Tails surprised everyone by refusing to back down from his suicidal claim. "I already decided last time when I thought I was going to die from the fake Egg Virus that I would never allow Eggman to have all the emeralds again, no matter what happened to me, and I won't back down now that it's actually real!"

"Who could have guessed that such a wimpy little fox had so much spunk?!" Eggman continued undaunted. "Very well, a compromise then. You give me five emeralds and I call it even."

"How about we just fly up there to your Egg Moon and take the cure ourselves!" Sonic threatened the pompous Dr. Robotnik. "You must not know as much about us as you thought, Egghead! My buddy here just finished improving the X-Tornado so that it uses two emeralds now! That means we can reach your moon base and destroy it easily!!"

"Is that so?" Eggman barely disguised his true surprise as he rethought his scheme. "Fine then, you can hand deliver the emeralds to me on the Egg Moon, and, for your troubles, I'll let you keep two of them so you can get back to Earth after you leave. I get four emeralds, no less!!"

"I don't know about this, guys," Tails remarked from his bed as the bartering went on.

"Tails, I know you don't want Eggman to get any of the emeralds, but try to think about us, too!" Chuck turned from the TV screen to look the fox in the eyes. "Think about how your death would affect me or Sonic or anyone else in this room! We understand why you're doing this, but we aren't ready for you to become a martyr just yet!"

"Well, don't look at me! I couldn't care less if that freaky fox kicked the bucket!" the unusually quiet Bokkun burst in with the rude remark, and was rewarded by a swift hammer whack to the head from a very agitated Amy.

Tails barely noticed the hurtful remark as he sat stunned at the sincerity in Chuck's voice a second ago. He quickly glanced around the room to see the faces of the others who were gathered around his bed. Sonic, Chuck, and Chris all returned his stare with eyes full of compassion and worry. Amy and Vanilla looked up at him as they sat in the corner sofa trying to console the weeping Cream and Cheese, who were so busy crying their eyes out that they couldn't even look back at Tails. _Chuck's right! I may be ready to die to keep Eggman from getting all the emeralds, but my friends aren't ready for me to go just yet, especially Cream,_ Tails focused his thoughts on the crying bunny that he couldn't seem to tear his eyes from. _She just lost Emerl recently, and she still hasn't recovered from that pain yet. If I were to die now, she would probably never be happy again. The same probably goes for Amy, Chris, Vanilla, and Chuck… and Sonic. _Tails managed to turn his head again to stare into the deep green irises of his self-proclaimed brother. _I wonder if Sonic would be OK if something actually were to happen to me._ Tails felt his determination rising as he again resolved to fight for each moment of life that he had left. _I'm not giving up; I already came too far for that now. I have to survive: for myself, for my friends, and for my parents! They all cared so much for me before, now it's my turn to make sure all their sacrifices weren't wasted!_ "OK, Eggman, it's a deal!" Tails suddenly spoke up to the surprise of all his friends around him. "I don't trust you as far as I can throw you, which isn't much at all, but I really don't want to die either. So, you get four emeralds in exchange for my life and my friends' safety while we're on the Egg Moon."

"I'm so glad that you are being reasonable, Tails!" Eggman happily replied. "Now, Bokkun will take that sample I need in exchange for the temporary antidote so you won't die before I finish working on your cure."

Bokkun held the TV in one hand as another reached into his big, green duffle bag and removed an impossibly large syringe that he pointed at Tails. "Ha ha ha! I've always wanted to play doctor on a real patient!" the small robot said as Tails fought the urge to faint in fear of the giant needle.

"That won't be necessary," Chuck rescued his partner from his laptop across the room. He handed a large vial filled with one of Tails' blood samples that he had been studying earlier to the sadistically laughing robot. "This should be more than enough for Eggman to get all the DNA he needs."

"Awwwww… But I wanted to use the needle!!" Bokkun whined as he reluctantly placed the needle and the sample into his duffle bag. He then removed a smaller syringe filled with a colorless liquid and handed it to Chuck. "OK, fine! Here's the antidote that Doctor Eggman gave me to give to you and Tails."

"It isn't much, but, as I said, it should help for now," Eggman again spoke from the TV Bokkun still managed to hold on to this whole time. "Don't forget! Bring the chaos emeralds to the Egg Moon at five-o-clock Wednesday afternoon if you want to save your pal, Sonic, and feel free to bring as many of your friends as you want. Now, I do believe that it's time for me to go, so, so long, losers!" Eggman shouted as the transmission ended and the TV screen went blank, except for an emblem of Eggman's head that contained a five second countdown which appeared on the otherwise black screen in Bokkun's hands.

"Aaaahh!! Doctor Eggman! I thought you said that this one wouldn't blow up!!" Bokkun shouted in horror as the countdown reached zero and a small explosion rocked the room as everyone turned away from the hovering bomb. The hospital's sprinkler system immediately kicked in as the smoke quickly flowed out of the open window in the room. Still hovering in the center of the room was an even blacker than normal Bokkun with a look of surprise stuck on his face as he held the ashes that were all that remained of the small, yellow TV.

"Ha, serves you right for being so rude!" Amy quickly insulted the undamaged robot.

"That's not fair!!" Bokkun cried out as he made soft sounds of tears forming in his eyes. Bokkun, who seemed to be the only robot in existence that could cry, then flew out the open window with tears streaming from his eyes. Moments later, Tails' personal nurse and doctor again entered the room to check on its occupants.

"Is everyone alright in here?!" the doctor shouted into the still smoky room.

"We're fine," Chris called out as he and the rest of the people in the room fought back the smoke induced coughing. "But I think Tails is going to need another room," Chris added the obvious understatement as the sprinkler system finally cut out, leaving the occupants of the room dripping wet on the slick floor beneath them.

"No thanks, Chris," Tails quickly stopped the nurse that had already started to remove the brakes on his rolling hospital bed. "It's about time I checked out anyway."

"But, you're still sick, Tails!" Cream spoke from the room's sofa as her mother shielded her face from the escaping smoke with her skirt's hem. "Shouldn't you stay in the hospital until you're better?"

"There's nothing they can do for me here, Cream," Tails informed the still teary eyed bunny. "Besides, if I'm going to have to stay in bed somewhere, I at least want it to be at home where I'm most comfortable."

"How about my house instead, Tails?" Chris asked the fox that he was now extremely worried about.

"That's actually what I meant, Chris," Tails corrected himself. "Could someone please help me out of this bed, now?" he called out to the assembled crowd.

"Well, normally patients aren't just allowed to check out whenever they want to, Mr. Prower," the doctor tried to discourage the fox from leaving before they had even discovered the source of his symptoms. "We still have a lot of tests we could run to see what's wrong with you."

"Never mind those, we already found out the problem!" Chuck informed the oblivious doctor and nurse. "It's a long story, but suffice it to say that he needs to take this right away." Chuck handed the nurse the syringe full of antidote and stared at her until she injected it into the IV tube in Tails' arm. Almost instantly, Tails began to breathe easier as the antidote tried to cleanse his body of the never-ending stream of bio-toxins. "Here Tails, I'll call Mr. Tanaka to come and get you and everyone else while I explain everything to the doctor," Chuck offered.

"OK, Chuck," Tails responded as the nurse finally began freeing him by removing his IV tube from his left arm. He was surprised that the narrow tube didn't really hurt too bad as it was removed from his arm. _Boy, I'm glad I was unconscious when they put that in, though,_ the fox thought to himself as he imagined the needle that must have been used to insert the IV tube into his arm in the first place. After removing all the electrodes and other sensors that were still attached to Tails, the nurse politely asked everyone to leave the room as she removed his hidden catheter. Tails blushed as the complete stranger started to pull out the device from a very private location with a good amount of pain accompanying the action. _I'm __very__ glad that I wasn't awake when she put that thing in!_ Tails once again thanked his unintentional coma. Finally, he was helped to his feet for the first time in days as Sonic came back in the room to assist his adopted little brother. With Sonic's help and the nurse's supervision, Tails finally managed to cross the small room and put his red and white striped shoes on. He was then escorted by request to the small bathroom in his hospital room's front-right corner. When he finally left his room a few minutes later, he found the complete Thorndike household standing in the hallway outside his door.

"Hey there, Tails!" Nelson Thorndike, Chris's father, greeted the upright fox. "I heard that you were awake and decided to come and see you, but I guess that I was almost too late."

"Oh, how are you feeling, darling?" the famous actor, and Chris's mother, Lindsey Thorndike asked Tails as she pinched his cheek with one hand. "I see that they still let you wear that dreadful costume even in the hospital. Someday I'm going to get you and your friends to take off those silly outfits and show us what you really look like."

Chris, Chuck, and Nelson all groaned as they tried to explain to Chris's mother for the hundredth time that Sonic and his friends weren't in costumes and that they really were walking, talking hedgehogs, foxes, and rabbits. Everyone else just snickered at how, after all this time, she still didn't get it. Tails quickly glanced around at the assembled group and spotted something strange in Ella's hands that prompted him to question the helpful maid. "Hey Ella," Tails pointed to the wheelchair that she now held, "What's that thing for?"

"Why, this is for you, silly!" Ella told the confused fox as she rolled the wheelchair over to where Tails stood.

"But, I can walk perfectly fine by myself, guys!" Tails objected to the present crowd who seemed to agree with Ella that he needed a lift out of the hospital.

"You're still pretty shaky, bud," Sonic placed a hand on Tails' shoulder to steady the wobbly fox. "You know, bro, we're on the fifth floor of the hospital right now, and it's a long walk down the hall to the elevators."

"Besides, it is a tradition for patients who have been in the hospital to get a ride in a wheelchair before they leave," Ella said as she parked the chair next to Tails.

"Well, I guess so then," Tails said as he tried to climb into the wheelchair on his own and nearly lost his balance trying to step up on the footrests.

"Let me give you a hand, dear," Vanilla interceded as she picked up the unstable kit and set him in the wheelchair's seat.

"Thanks," Tails politely responded to the motherly rabbit.

"It's no problem, sweetie," Vanilla spoke as she walked around the wheelchair to grab the rear handles and began pushing him down the hallway as everyone else followed.

"That looks like fun, Tails!" Cream observed as they made their way towards the elevators.

"Well, I guess it beats walking," Tails said in response while he put one hand behind his head and grinned widely in mild embarrassment. He decided to ignore the undignified manner in which he left the hospital and simply looked at the experience as pure fun. He was greeted at the hospital's front door by Chris's uncle, Sam Speed, driving a stretch limousine as he was helped into the back seat by Mr. Tanaka.

"Don't worry, Tails!" Sam called to him from the front of the limo, "I'll get you back home in just two shakes of your two tails! Ha ha ha ha ha!!" Everyone else barely managed to pile in before the Thorndike's private limousine raced away from the hospital at break-neck speed. Tails just prayed that the ride didn't kill him before his own body's bio-toxins did as he began to feel his lunch in his throat for the second time today.


	15. Chapter 13: A Bird? A Plane? A Bat!

Lethal Mutation

Another beautiful day, and here I am typing away on my computer like a troll in a dark and gloomy cave... Oh well, as long as it's what I like to do, so be it! Major thanks go out to all my reviewers that managed to survive the incredibly long and somewhat confusing chapter 12: ChibiRyou200, Nicend, Rae Logan, cari, Asher Tye (bonus points for posting on the forum, too!), Pokelad, Shika Kev Prower, brave kid, Zachary W, and Koike! Also, for my newest reviewer CrazyTailsFan, a.k.a. Danielle, I will give no celebration video clips at this time. For those readers who think that this isn't very nice, I just want to say that I know this person, and our relationship is not too unlike Sonic and Amy in my story! So, while I pack and move to a different location now that she has tracked me down again, lets get on with the chapter!

Many of you readers were very excited that Rouge and Knuckles would finally end up together for what you know will be a hilarious exchange of insults, and I won't disappoint! This chapter will go back three days in the past to the time just before the Egg Rocket crashes on Angel Island and explain how those two are going to be involved in the rest of this story! But, this chapter isn't all just comical dialogue, as you will see fairly early on. So prepare to be shocked, held in suspense, and laugh your head off at the same time! Everyone's favorite echidna is at it again!

Chapter 13: It's a Bird; No, a Plane; Wait, a Bat?!

Three days past on a relatively peaceful Sunday afternoon, the same day as Tails' test run of the new and improved X-Tornado, a familiar red echidna was basking in the sun while Angel Island floated over the open ocean. His mind was anything but idle, however, as he remembered the excitement from earlier this morning, totally unaware that the day would only get more hectic very soon...

_Boy, today sure has been a busy day for weird stuff to happen!_ Knuckles thought to himself as he lay face up in his usual guard post at the base of the Master Emerald's shrine. _First, I see some kind of shooting star go right over the island this morning, then, not a few minutes later, the Master Emerald starts flashing, and I hear this strange voice talking to me from the Emerald! What did it say again? _Knuckles closed his eyes to recall the earlier event in his mind.

(flashback)

_You know the only problem about staring at the clouds, _Knuckles pondered as he lay in the grass surrounding the Master Emerald's shrine, _is that after a while they start looking like just puffy blobs in the sky instead of shapes and pictures._ Knuckles was once again bored out of his mind as he stared mindlessly into the sky. _Just once, I would like something interesting to happen up there, so I would have something to look at!_

As if in an immediate response to his wishes, Knuckles' idly searching eyes caught sight of a bright object as it fell through the sky overhead. _What's that?_ Knuckles thought as he leaped to his feet in sudden fascination. The object appeared to be no larger than a fighter jet as it glowed brightly high in the skies above Angel Island. As it fell through the clouds, Knuckles got a closer look at the burning aircraft. _Oh great, it's just a plane. But why does it look like it's on fire? Wait, what if that thing belongs to Eggman?! It does seem to be coming this way!_ Knuckles clenched his fists as he prepared to face another of Eggman's ultimate robots. _So, you gave up on the chaos emeralds and decided to take the Master Emerald instead, eh, Eggman?! Well, you won't get it away from me without a fight!!_ The pumped up echidna quickly used his incredible climbing skills to reach the peak of Angel Island's sole mountain in a matter of seconds to get a better vantage point on the object's flight path.

No sooner had Knuckles set foot on the top of the mountain's peak, than his eyes grew comically huge at the sight before him. The unknown plane, whoever it belonged to, was heading straight towards him at a speed that would make even Sonic jealous. Knuckles recovered from his surprise and leapt off the mountaintop a split second before the unidentified aircraft shattered the tip of the pencil-topped mountain into gravel. Quickly rolling in mid-air so that he could get in position to safely glide down from his suicidal jump, the red echidna reacquired the hit-and-run plane as it miraculously pulled out of its dive straight into Angel Island and sped into the distance. _I must be seeing things!_ Knuckles doubted his own eyes as he caught his first good glance at the reckless aircraft. _That looked just like the X-Tornado, but why did it look like it __was on fire? And why did it almost run me over?!_ the angry echidna speculated on the unusual sighting. _Tails is a better pilot than that; he would never let the X-Tornado come so close to crashing! Something is up with Sonic and his friends again, but do I dare to go and find out what? Last time I helped those guys, I ended up looking like a complete idiot!_ Knuckles safely touched down on the platform on which the Master Emerald rested as he made his decision. _Well, whatever it is, Sonic can handle it on his own this time._

"To the one who keeps the Master of the Chaos, harken to my words," a mysterious voice spoke from behind the surprised echidna.

"Wha...?!" Knuckles cried as he quickly spun on his heels to confront the voice that had come from nowhere. To his increasing surprise, the red and white echidna saw no one behind him or anywhere close to the Master Emerald's shrine. "Who's there? Show yourself now, or I'll make sure you can never hide again!!" Knuckles frantically shouted towards the empty ground occupied only by himself and the Master Emerald. _I know I heard someone talking to me just now, but where… Huh?!_ Knuckles covered his eyes as a bright flash emanated from the Master Emerald that surprised the already confused echidna.

"To the one who keeps the Master of the Chaos, hear my words and hasten to respond," the voice again spoke from the center of the bright flash.

"It's coming from the Master Emerald!" Knuckles accidentally spoke out loud as he found the source of the mysterious voice. "The one who keeps the Master of the Chaos… could that be me?! The Master Emerald controls the chaos emeralds, and I'm the one who guards the Master Emerald, so…"

"Guardian of the Master of the Chaos, a task is set upon your laurels that must be fulfilled for the survival of all that walk under the light of day," the strange voice continued to speak directly towards the perplexed echidna. "The one who was born to die must fulfill his destiny, or else all those who were granted life will suffer his fate as well. You must see that this prophecy comes to pass, great Guardian of the Chaos. May you find success, or may the world never see peace again if you fail!"

"Whoa, now!! Hold on, whoever you are! You can't just pin the fate of the whole world on my shoulders like this! And, just what do you mean by this 'destiny' mumbo jumbo anyway?!" Knuckles shouted towards the source of the voice. Suddenly, the bright flash faded away leaving a confused Knuckles standing next to the Master Emerald all alone again.

(end flashback)

Knuckles opened his eyes again as his memory of the events earlier this morning reached its end. "The one who was born to die must fulfill his destiny…" he mumbled in an attempt to understand the critical riddle that the voice had given him. "Arrggg! This is just a bunch of bologna! First off, doesn't everyone who is born have to die eventually? That means anyone could be the person this prophesy is talking about! And even if the prophecy meant someone in particular, what does it want me to do about it?!" He ran every possible idea on what the voice had meant through his mind as he continued to lay upright on the grass and stare into the now cloudless sky. A gleam of light caught his eye from the corner of his vision as he turned his head to focus on a new point of light that had suddenly appeared on the horizon. It appeared to be heading out of the atmosphere rather quickly, like a rocket, but a small explosion appeared from the craft as it began falling back towards the sea from where it must have come. The now free-falling rocket fell rapidly from the sky as it seemed to angle its way towards Angel Island.

_Oh, great, visitors!_ Knuckles mentally grumbled as he realized that the craft was indeed being piloted towards his floating island. _Well, I guess today just got even weirder. Maybe now I can get some answers from whoever's flying that thing, that is, if they survive the crash._ As soon as he had these thoughts, the mysterious flying craft smashed into the forest surrounding the Master Emerald with enough force to produce a generous crater in the forest canopy. _Better go see who was in that thing before they find the Master Emerald! _Knuckles thought as he dashed off towards the impact sight.

* * *

_I've certainly had smoother landings,_ Rouge thought as she lifted the remains of the Egg Rocket's pilot's seat off of her trapped torso. She had successfully managed to steer the malfunctioning missile into Angel Island's expansive forest before it had lost control entirely. She crawled slowly from the rocket via the now missing hatch that had refused to open at all earlier. Once free from the wreckage, Rouge was surprised to see that the hunk of junk that she had ridden in earlier was still mostly intact, not to mention herself. Quickly, she checked her breast pocket for the data disk that was so vital to her mission's success. She breathed a sigh of relief as she realized that it too was undamaged. She reached further into her pocket and removed her tube of lipstick that doubled as a locator device. _Good, it's still transmitting. That means Topaz will be coming to get me in just a few minutes. _As she used her portable locator's other end to touch up her makeup, her incredible hearing detected a person approaching stealthily through the forest towards her. _Just enough time to say hello to a certain someone,_ she thought as she finished applying the lipstick and turned to face her welcome party.

"No way, it's you, Rouge!" Knuckles shouted in greeting as he suddenly came into view from the forest surrounding the impact sight.

"Hiya, cutie! Long time, no see," Rouge responded in that playful tone that she knew Knuckles hated so much.

"What are you doing here? You'd better not be trying to steal the Master Emerald again!!" the already hot-blooded echidna shouted towards the unwelcome bat.

"Geees, suppose it might kill you to show some hospitality every now and then?" Rouge taunted the irate Knuckles. "I just left from our mutual friend Eggman's secret base and decided to drop by for a quick chat. Nothing wrong with that now, is there?"

"Eggman?! Ha, you expect me to believe that?!" Knuckles responded to Rouge's sketchy story. "I haven't seen his ugly mug around here for almost a week now!"

"Oh, really," Rouge shot back at the overconfident echidna, "Well, I just so happen to know that Eggy set up shop on the seafloor right below us."

"Wha…?! You must be batty!!" Knuckles objected to Rouge's claims. He realized that Rouge was probably telling him the truth, but something about that nocturnal vixen made him extremely defensive and even more prideful than normal every time she was around him.

"Suit yourself, guy," Rouge said as she gave up on trying to convince the hard-headed echidna of Eggman's presence and instead pulled a trump card that even he couldn't dispute, "But I've just learned that Eggman has repaired the Eclipse Cannon and placed it on the Egg Moon to hold the world ransom again in just a few days," she broke the top-secret news to the shocked Knuckles. Rouge was never good about keeping secrets; she much rather preferred to expose other peoples secrets instead. _Besides, _Rouge thought, _who would Knuckles tell anyway? He never even leaves this tiny island, and the look on his face right now is positively priceless!_

"No way! I thought that Eggman's grandfather had rigged the Eclipse Cannon not to fire if anyone tried with all the chaos emeralds powering it! And besides, if Eggman wants to use the Eclipse Cannon, won't he at least need most of the chaos emeralds first?" Knuckles asked the suddenly very informative agent.

"Yep, that's right," Rouge playfully congratulated the red echidna instead of answering his question.

"Well, how does he plan to get them from Sonic?" Knuckles inquired from the she-bat. He suddenly shivered as an unexplainable feeling of dread filled his body even before Rouge answered him.

"That's where it gets interesting, Knuckie-poo," Rouge taunted the strangely acting echidna with one of her annoying nicknames for him that she knew he hated. However, she was shocked that he hardly even cracked a snarl on his face at the name-calling and its implied romantic connection. "You see," Rouge continued with her explanation, disappointed at the lack of response she was getting from the unusually serious echidna, "Eggman has found a virus that infects only Mobians and causes them to mutate to become stronger and smarter, but it also makes their bodies produce a bio-toxin that will kill them without regular treatment. This means that they are forced to obey whoever has the antidote or else they will die. And once he finishes his virus, he plans to use it to make his own super-Mobian army!"

"That might be hard to do with so few Mobians on this planet," Knuckles mentioned as he only saw the minor threat that Eggman's virus posed to Earth.

"Well, with all seven emeralds, he doesn't have to stay on this planet, now does he?" Rouge reminded the dense echidna who tended to only think with his muscles. "This virus had been created by Eggman's grandfather, Gerald Robotnik, and was tested on several Mobians, most of which who died from it."

"Which leads me back to my first question, how is Eggman going to get the emeralds from Sonic?!" Knuckles impatiently decided to reiterate his earlier question.

"Hold on, guy! I'm getting to that part," Rouge scolded the high tempered echidna in her usual tone of defiance. "One of the people who survived the testing just so happened to live long enough to have a son. Know anyone who might seem a bit different to you?" the secret agent bat teased the echidna by stalling.

"You seem a little out of the ordinary to me!" Knuckles shouted back at the highly annoying bat.

"Ouch, that really stings coming from you, lover boy!" Rouge sarcastically gave the instantaneous comeback that always trumped Knuckles' best insults.

"What?! I could never like you, you flying jewel thief!!" Knuckles responded with a pathetic attempt at another insult.

"Hold it, Knuckie. I never said anything about me being in the picture here," Rouge sprung her trap of letting Knuckles confess his feelings for her without him realizing it.

"W-w-wait a second! That's not what I said! I meant… Uhhh…I-I-I mean…" Knuckles' voice trailed off as he started blushing at being trapped by his own words. He quickly changed the subject in order to save what little dignity he had left, "So anyway, who's father did you say was involved with Gerald's experimental virus long ago?"

"I was hoping that you could guess, but I suppose that you're more dense than I first imagined," the secret agent bat couldn't resist adding one last insult to the endless stream that she had reserved for the red echidna. "Who else do you know that has an obvious mutation, such as a second appendage or super-smarts? That little fox cub wasn't a freak accident; he just got those mutations from his father."

"Tails?!" Knuckles' mouth dropped as he heard himself speak the name of Sonic's adopted little brother for the second time in connection to the chaos emeralds. "What does that little kit have to do with all this?!" he shouted as the unexplainable feeling of dread he had felt earlier intensified at the name of the two-tailed fox cub.

"Well, I guess you do have a brain after all," Rouge said as the echidna stood dumbfounded. "Tails' father passed down his genes to the little furry tyke when he was born, including the ones that make the bio-toxin. Eggy plans to offer Sonic and his friends the cure for the poison in exchange for the chaos emeralds."

"So, this whole time, Tails has been dying from some mutation caused by a disease his father was given?!" Knuckles summarized as his face began to go pale.

"You really are a slow learner, aren't you?" Rouge playfully remarked as she missed the shift in the red echidna's coloring. "That little flying freak's body has been killing him for years, and soon it might finally succeed. He has been unusually unhealthy lately, hasn't he?" the bat inquired from the pale-faced echidna in hopes of gaining more useful information for Topaz when she arrived.

"How did you…?" Knuckles began to ask as he was suddenly cut off.

"It's amazing the rumors you can hear if you just hang out," Rouge joked as she recalled her spying from under the Thorndike Mansion's veranda on the sick fox a week ago. "Talking about diseases, are you feeling all right, Knuckie? You look like you've just seen a ghost!" Rouge mentioned as she finally noticed his pale face.

"What kind of question is that, Rouge?! Of course I feel fine!" Knuckles' pride forced the echidna to act tough around the testing bat. "I just was remembering something that I heard in a vision earlier today that may have to do with this whole mess."

"Please, do tell," Rouge invited the echidna to discuss his secrets with her now that she had shared hers with him.

"Ummm... OK, fine. Earlier today, the Master Emerald showed me a vision with an ancient prophecy in it," Knuckles began his story. "A voice told me to make sure that the one who was born to die must fulfill his destiny, or the world would share his fate. If Tails was born with this toxin in his body that will kill him, couldn't he be the person the prophesy is talking about?"

"Sounds right to me," Rouge agreed with the dead serious echidna. "If Sonic does trade all his chaos emeralds for Tails' cure, it could definitely mean some serious trouble for both worlds now that Eggman has the Eclipse Cannon and this new mutant virus."

"So then, what did the voice mean about fulfilling his destiny if it really is referring to Tails?" Knuckles asked the suddenly agreeable bat.

"Who knows?" Rouge unhelpfully answered the important question. "But if you ask me, I think the first part of the riddle has the answer to the second part in it. If someone was born to die, then their only real destiny must be death. I think the riddle is telling you that Tails is supposed to die in order to save both our worlds."

"That can't be right!! Sure he's a pushover and a constant burden, but Tails is a good kid and Sonic's best friend! I can't tell him that Tails is dying and that I have to make sure he does! I'm a guardian, not a hit-man!!" Knuckles bellowed as he realized the truth of Rouge's interpretation of the indisputable vision.

"Sounds like you have no choice, Knuckie," Rouge refused to sugar-coat the difficult news. The sound of a lone helicopter's rotors was heard above the forest canopy as a military chopper suddenly hovered overhead.

"There you are Rouge!" Topaz's voice was heard over the roar of the copter's blades and engines. "The President needs to know what you found out about Eggman's plans!"

"Just a sec, girl!" Rouge shouted back over her shoulder before again addressing Knuckles, "Well, sorry I couldn't stay too long, but I have to fly. Although, if you promise to be a good boy, I might let you come with me," she offered.

"Why would I want to do that?" Knuckles all but declined her invitation.

"Because I happen to have the blueprints to the Eclipse Cannon's control room on the Egg Moon, which means that if we got up there…" Rouge started to explain her rough plan to stop Eggman before he was ready.

"We could destroy the Eclipse Cannon before it can be fired and maybe even stop Eggman from making this virus as well!" Knuckles finished her sentence.

"Precisely," Rouge congratulated the echidna who could be a formidable sleuth when he wanted to be. "Although, I don't think we need to worry about Eggy's little virus scheme just yet. From what I saw of his research, it may take the good Doctor years to perfect the virus again unless he happened to get a sample of it."

"This is great!" Knuckles exclaimed, relieved to know that he wouldn't have to force Sonic to let Tails die after all. "If we destroy the Eclipse Cannon before Eggman gets the emeralds, then Tails could still get his cure and not have to die at all!"

"But, that's not what your little vision says," Rouge reminded the hopeful echidna. "According to what you told me, if Tails lives, then the rest of the world will suffer."

"I don't care!!" Knuckles bellowed out at top volume. "Maybe we are wrong about what the prophesy means! Maybe Tails can still survive, and the world be kept safe from Eggman at the same time!"

"Whatever you say, big boy," Rouge shrugged as she again gave up on reasoning with the distraught echidna. "I just remember that a smart, old gal I used to know always told me that you can't have your cake and eat it too. But I never paid attention because I thought cake was way too fattening."

"You really are batty!" Knuckles insulted the philosophical secret agent. "Now, how soon can we get to the Egg Moon and stop Dr. Eggman?"

"Well, these humans are a little slow when it comes to space travel, so it might take a few days before we can get a ride up to the Egg Moon," Rouge informed the anxious echidna. "Still, we will need that time to come up with a plan anyway. So, guy, are you in or are you out?" the bat asked as she grabbed a rung of a rope ladder that had been lowered to her from the hovering helicopter.

"Count me in!" Knuckles shouted as he grabbed another rung of the ladder and held on as the two of them where hauled into the chopper as it sped away towards Station Square.


	16. Chapter 14: Mutant Malpractice

Lethal Mutation

Hey, readers! It's me again with a huge treat for all of you, my longest chapter to date! I'm sorry if some of my regular reviewers are angry at me for not replying to your reviews like I always do, but I have a really good reason! Tails has struck again and I currently find myself having to go to classes today when I shouldn't even be allowed to leave my bed. No, it's not Eggthrax, Drandu, but let's just say I'm glad that I have a stronger stomach than a certain yellow fox. But, my misery is no reason to forget to list all you wonderful continuous reviewers: Drandu, Kioke, ChibiRyou200 (BTW, hope you feel better soon, too!), Rae Logan, cari la fenix (now an official site member, yeah!), brave kid, Shika Kev Prower, Asher Tye (thanks for keeping me occupied from my idle misery so far!), Siran 774, and Danielle (who I am still trying to run from)! Also, I have one new reviewer to celebrate, peter cellarius! Super congratulations to peter as well for being my official 100th reviewer! (Sorry, Shika Kev Prower and Asher Tye; the newbie beat you guys by one each. XD)

Anyhow, before I am no longer able to finish typing this because of my fever, I would love to say thank you as well to a few of you reviewers (I want to list your names, but I don't really feel like it right now. Please forgive me. Oooooohh...) for posting on my, until recently, dead forum. Now on to the story! Luckily this one doesn't need any introduction, which is just as well because I don't feel up to typing one. So enjoy, and try to stay healthy for my sake! (I swear, Tails, if you infect me or anyone else one more time, I'll...)

Chapter 14: Mutant Malpractice

Tuesday evening, less than 24 hours from the time they would depart for the Egg Moon, a small group of people where as busy as could be in the Thorndike's secret underground lab...

"Ha ha haa haaa…" The yellow fox made sounds that sounded like laughter but grew in volume until the climax of his sneeze, "Ha-Chooo!"

"Are you feeling OK, Tails?" Chuck asked from the other side of the X-Tornado's now open nose cone.

"I'm fine, Chuck. It's just a little dusty in here since I haven't opened it up for a while," Tails explained as he wiped his nose with a swipe of his finger.

"Well, we'd better get it cleaned then before we install the new laser cannon," Chuck replied as he walked around the dissected forward section of the X-Tornado. "Ella can probably dust this thing up for us while we get a bite to eat. Are you hungry, Tails?"

"Are you kidding? My little bro may look like a lightweight, but he probably has the best appetite of anyone I've ever seen in both worlds!" Sonic replied as he hopped down from the wingtip of one of the X-Tornado's tallest stabilizer fins where he had been observing the duo as they worked on the latest improvements on the plane's weaponry.

"I suppose a snack would be nice," Tails admitted as he wiped his grimy hands on a rag to try and clean them off. He smiled to himself as he checked to find that he had somehow resisted the urge to clean them on his tails like he usually did. "Thanks for coming to help us out, Sonic. If we're going to fly the X-Tornado to the Egg Moon and back tomorrow, I wanted to make sure that it had enough firepower to escape one of Eggman's traps, just in case."

"That was good thinkin', little bro," Sonic said as he patted his partner's back in support of the extra caution the fox was taking in preparation for tomorrow's trip.

"I agree, Tails," Chuck added his own encouragement for the young fox's decision to be extra prepared for the rendezvous with Eggman.

"Come on, Chuck! It was your idea too!" Tails, unaccustomed to praise, objected as he started to blush slightly.

"But you are the one who found the way to get our emerald powered laser cannon working and mounted into the X-Tornado's nose," Chuck countered.

"It was easy. You could have done it too if you had enough time, Chuck. All we had to do was redirect the main power conduit into the… Whoa!" Tails' technical explanation was cut short as the fox suddenly fell to the ground as the threesome moved towards the elevator out of the Thorndike's secret underground lab.

"Tails! What's wrong, buddy?!" Sonic yelled as he instantly turned around and caught his adopted little brother before he hit the hard concrete floor.

"Nothing. I'm fine, Sonic, really," a dazed Tails tried to convince the concerned hedgehog as he shook his head to clear his swimming vision. "I just got a little dizzy all of the sudden and tripped."

"I'm not so sure that it's just nothing, Tails," Chuck broke in with the unwanted, but truthful, explanation. "That antidote Eggman gave you was just a temporary cure to keep you from getting worse than you already were. It's actually a miracle that you haven't felt any more negative effects from your body's neurotoxins until now, but I think this means that they are coming back again."

"But, if you're right Chuck, who will finish the X-Tornado?" Tails asked as Sonic helped him back to his feet and guided him to the elevator.

"We can handle it, buddy!" Sonic said as he flashed a quick thumbs up towards his little brother as the elevator ascended.

"And I can fly the X-Tornado tomorrow if you don't feel well enough to take it up to the Egg Moon," Chuck answered Tails' next question before it was even asked.

"I guess I don't have a choice," Tails decided to forgo the futile battle to convince his super-protective friends that he was indeed fine. He had felt a strange headache for a couple hours now and during some of the rewiring of the emerald powered laser cannon he had been forced to wait for his vision to clear a couple of times when all the multicolored wires would suddenly duplicate and move around in his eyesight. Tails had managed to keep these telltale warning signs to himself until his little fall a second ago, or so he thought. Looking at the faces of his best friends on either side of him, he could tell that they must have noticed his distraction and unusual behavior at least an hour ago by the concern on their expressions.

Realizing that the fox had just gotten wise to the fact that he already knew about Tails unspoken symptoms, Chuck addressed the fox again, "If you're wondering how long we knew that you were feeling bad again, just ask Sonic. He noticed it first."

"You can't keep secrets from me, remember bro?" Sonic joked with the surprised kit. "I knew you were starting to feel like you were getting sick again the second you asked me to come and help you and Chuck work on the X-Tornado in the lab. We both know that I don't know a wing nut from a monkey wrench; you just wanted me around."

"I… Yeah, you're right, Sonic," Tails admitted with a sigh of relief at not having to act tough anymore to try and conceal the inevitable.

"Don't worry, little bro. We'll get you something to eat, and Mrs. Vanilla can take you back to your room to rest," Sonic made the appealing offer as the elevator doors opened and the trio walked towards the Thorndike's mansion proper.

"No, Sonic! I know that's what's best for me at the moment, but, if I get in a bed to rest now, I won't ever feel like leaving it because I'll just get worse!" Tails fought against being bedridden yet again.

"It's better to get in bed now, then, Tails," Chuck spoke with the voice of undeniable reason. "That is, unless you want us to wait until we have to carry your unconscious body there ourselves after your next blackout."

"How come you guys are always right?" Tails observed out loud as he once again found himself defeated by the overwhelming logic of his friends' argument. "Fine, I'll go lay down after dinner, happy?" Tails attempted to compromise with his concerned friends.

"It's a deal," Chuck accepted as they entered the dining room together.

Unfortunately, as he ate his share of Ella's gourmet cooking, Tails began to feel a familiar throbbing in his forehead as he threw down his silverware to use his hands to cover his aching head. Within a few seconds, the unbearable pain gave way to darkness as Tails barely recognized the beginning of another mild seizure before he felt nothing at all.

* * *

He woke up in a darkened room in what seemed an instant later to the no longer comatose fox. He instantly recognized the room as his and Sonic's shared bedroom on the second floor of the Thorndike's mansion. As he tried to sit up, a hand reached out that pushed him gently back down into bed. Squinting into the darkness, Tails saw the figure of Mrs. Vanilla sitting by his bedside with her hand outstretched to restrain him.

"Don't try to get up, honey," the motherly rabbit's soothing voice traveled to Tails' large, triangular ears. "You went into another seizure while you were still eating and have been out ever since."

"What time is it now?" Tails asked for the sake of satisfying his curiosity.

"It's still evening," Vanilla informed the inquisitive fox, "You weren't out for more than a couple of hours, and your seizure wasn't that bad either."

"I guess that antidote is starting to wear off, isn't it?" Tails stated more than asked.

"Yes, deary. But you only have to hold on for a little less than a day now until we can get your cure from Eggman," Mrs. Vanilla reassured the troubled fox cub.

"Then that means that my chest pains and more serious seizures are gonna start happening again soon, won't they?" the somewhat scared yellow fox asked in hopes of a different answer than the one he already knew.

"I'm afraid that's true as well, Tails," Vanilla told the young fox the bad news that he had already expected a day ago.

Tails groaned as he remembered the agony that he went through in the hospital no more than a day ago. _I wonder how bad I'll get before I can get that cure from Eggman. I hope it works as well as my father's cure did before now._ The fox's droopy eyelids shot wide open in horror as he realized his possibly fatal assumption. _Wait a minute! Eggman doesn't really care if I die or not as long as he gets the Chaos Emeralds!! What if he gives me a fake cure after Sonic gives him the four emeralds we agreed on?!_ Tails abruptly sat straight up in his bed as he entertained this likely possibility, and he would have jumped right out of bed too if Vanilla hadn't have leaped to her feet to restrain him.

"What's the matter, honey?!" Vanilla shouted out in shock at the young fox's unexpected attempt to flee. She was extremely worried at the young kit's look of terror on his face as she wondered if this was a new symptom of his neurotoxin filled body.

"Sonic! Sonic!" the frightened kit began shouting at the top of his lungs. The noise of the screaming kitsune filled the mansion as the house's residents hurried towards the room in response to the distress call. Vanilla held on to the frantically thrashing fox cub as the entire household began to mob the room in a confused panic.

"What's going on here?!" Chuck asked as he saw Vanilla struggling with all her might to keep Tails from escaping her grasp.

"Master Tails, please calm down!" Mr. Tanaka shouted to the fox as he came to Mrs. Vanilla's aid. Together, they managed to subdue the panic-stricken Tails as they forced him back down into a sitting position on his bed.

Tails began to breathe deeply again as he finally regained control over his body that had been controlled by his own fear just a second ago. He looked at the people surrounding him in the room now as he wondered what he had just done.

"Mommy, are you OK?" Cream asked as her exhausted mother collapsed into a chair next to Tails' bed.

"I'm fine, honey," Vanilla replied as she gingerly placed a hand over the left side of her chest. A slight wince of pain showed on her face as she touched a small bruise that had been received during her struggle with the frightened kitsune.

"Oh No! Mrs. Vanilla, are you hurt?" Ella said as she rushed over to the injured rabbit after observing the look of pain on her face.

"It's just a little bruise," Vanilla replied, "I'll be fine."

"Why did you hurt my mother, Tails?!" Cream angrily shouted towards the stunned fox in his bed.

Tails couldn't respond as he was still petrified by the knowledge of his recent actions and his realization that Eggman wasn't going to cure him at all. Just then, the tension in the room was increased by the sudden arrival of Sonic the hedgehog from another one of his runs.

"What's happenin' in here?" Sonic said as he shouldered his way into the middle of the room.

"Your friend here just attacked Cream's mother!" Amy over-exaggerated as she explained what she had seen upon her arrival to the earlier struggle.

"What?! Tails, buddy, say it ain't so! Why would you ever do something like that?!" Sonic spoke with his mouth agape in disbelief.

"He didn't hurt me on purpose, Sonic," Vanilla replied from her seat as Ella and Cream tended to her minor wound. "Something scared him, and I think he lost control for a little while."

"Was it another seizure?" Chris guessed from the doorway.

"It doesn't sound like one to me, Chris," Chuck responded as he prepared to make his educated guess as to Tails' loss of control. "It was most likely a panic attack. They can strike at any time for someone that has a problem with their brain or the rest of their nervous system. Worst of all, unlike when Tails has a seizure and can't remember what happened afterwards, Tails probably knows exactly what just happened and simply couldn't control his own body."

"So, Tails didn't mean to hurt my mommy?" Cream asked as she instantly began to feel guilty for yelling at the poor fox.

"Of course not, sweetie," Ella chimed in. "As a matter of fact, I bet Tails feels even worse about hurting your mother than she does."

"But what spooked my little bro so bad in the first place?" Sonic brought up the crucial question as everyone pondered the cause of Tails' highly unusual behavior.

"It's because I just realized that I'm going to die, Sonic," Tails finally managed to work up the courage to speak once more.

"What do you mean, little bro? All you have to do is wait one more day until we can get you that cure. You can't say that you're givin' up on me now!" Sonic blurted out with more emotion than he had intended.

"You're wrong, Sonic," Tails told the disturbed hedgehog. "Eggman won't spend all that time to create a real cure for my virus. He's just going to give me a fake cure so that he can take the emeralds for free."

"You don't know that, Tails! He might actually keep his word this time!" Chuck tried to get the depressed fox to think optimistically.

"No he won't," Tails stubbornly replied. "He never has before! And besides, if I'm out of the picture, he knows that he won't have to worry about the X-Tornado or any other of my inventions getting in his way. He may even be hoping that my death might make Sonic easier to capture or defeat."

"That's just crummy thinking, bro," Sonic tried to refute his brother's reasonable claims.

"I agree," Chuck also joined in, "Eggman may be an evil genius, but even he isn't thatevil! And besides, why would Eggman take a sample of your DNA if he wasn't going to make a cure?"

"OK, you may have got me there, but it still makes perfect sense, guys!" Tails got agitated as no one chose to see what he saw as a simple logical fact. "He knows that with me gone, Sonic might be weak. And, if we give him most of our chaos emeralds too, he knows that he is guaranteed to win next time they fight! Don't you see?! The only way to save everyone else is to keep the emeralds and let me die!"

"That's enough of that!" Amy suddenly broke in from the back of the crowd. She advanced to the head of Tails' bed as everyone else watched her in anticipation of a great speech that would shake the fox out of his defeatist state. Instead, the whole crowd took a step back in surprise as the pink hedgehog pulled out her trusty Piko Piko Hammer and took aim at the stubbornly pessimistic fox cub.

"Amy! What are you planning to do w…" Cream began to object as Amy brought her hammer across the side of Tails' head at almost full force.

The sound of the impact of the large mallet to Tails' left cheek echoed in the dead silence of the room. Everyone stood stunned at the brutal and unnecessary attack, so much so that no one even dared to utter a word in disapproval at the insane action. Tails had been clubbed down into his bed by the vicious blow and now made the only sounds in the room as he cried hard into his pillow from the pain of the totally unexpected hit. Finally, Amy broke the silence as she leaned on her hammer with a face that betrayed no remorse at injuring the distraught fox.

"There, Tails. Now do you have your head on straight, or should I whack you again?" Amy coldheartedly suggested from the fox's bedside. After no response of any kind from the crying fox, Amy continued her short speech, "Good, now listen up and listen good, Tails! You are going to stop all this nonsense about Eggman giving you a fake cure and letting you die. As plausible as it may sound, the fact remains that there is a good chance that Eggman may actually give you the real cure instead. Now you promised all of us in the hospital that you wouldn't give up on trying to survive until there were no more possible options for a cure, which means that, trap or not, we have to try Eggman's cure before you can even start to think about dying on us! It doesn't help anybody if you give up now, when a possible way to save your life is so close! So, if I ever hear you say that you're supposed to die again, I'll smack you so hard that your children will be born with dents in their skulls!"

Tails managed to roll over on his bed to view the face of his attacker. Even through his unending tears, he noticed that Amy was definitely angry. But a look into the pink hedgehog's eyes told him that her anger was just an illusion that hid her real concern for his well-being. _Is it my tears blinding me, or is Amy crying too because she hit me? _Tails observed as the stunned occupants of the room looked on. He understood again why it was important to never give up hope. _They all care for me too much to let me give up now. I've come too far just to give in to despair now that I'm so close to even just a possible cure. I need to live for my friends, but mostly for my father and mother. They fought for my life and paid for it with their own so that I could get this far, and I won't waste the only thing that they ever really gave to me, my life!_

"Well, say something, little bro," Sonic pleaded as the entire household held their breaths as they awaited the fox's reply.

Tails sat for a whole minute before he thought of a good response to Sonic's request. "I guess I can't die now, thanks to Amy," Tails spoke in a totally opposite tone than he had used a few minutes ago.

"Why's that, Tails?" Chris asked as the rest of the crowd wondered if the boy really should ask such a question right now.

"Well, it's because I guess I already knew what Amy just said was true, even when I didn't want to." Tails smiled as he finished with a joke, "Besides, I just got a strong feeling that everything will turn out OK after all, or maybe it's just a migraine." The fox let out a weak groan as he gingerly placed his closest hand on his bruised cheek for emphasis.

Everyone in the room burst into fits of laughter at the witty remark Tails had made, except Cream and Cheese. The young bunny and her chao pet stared at the room full of hysterically laughing people in supreme confusion. Finally, she turned to her uncontrollably giggling mother for an explanation, "Mommy, what's so funny about Tails having a headache? Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Don't worry about it, honey," Vanilla spoke to her daughter even while she still laughed lightly, "I'll explain it to you later."

"And I thought that I was the king of saying bad jokes!" Sonic shouted out as he remained doubled over in pain from his intense laughing.

"Well, after all those years of living with you, Sonic, I guess I may have picked up on a few of your talents," Tails amended as he gasped for breath in between fits of uncontrollable laughter. He was laughing more at the others' reactions than his own joke.

"I do believe that this has satisfactorily solved Master Tails' earlier problem," Mr. Tanaka commented as the first occupant of the room to regain control of his laughter. "I will take my leave now," the butler politely excused himself.

"Oh, Tails, sweetie!" Ella spoke in tears of happiness as the laughter in the room died down, "You are so funny that you made my eyes need a mop!" The jolly maid left the room as well, still suffering from short bursts of laughter as she remembered the perfectly timed joke that had broken the intense drama in the room earlier.

"Your dad would be proud of you, Tails," Chuck said as the laughter of the remaining people in the room finally subsided. "You care enough about the rest of the world to be willing to sacrifice yourself for complete strangers, yet you still refuse to give up because of your friends. That takes a lot of guts, more than I could possibly ever know."

"I really wish he were here, Chuck," Tails confessed as he became totally serious once more. "There's so many things that I would like to ask him."

"Like what, Tails?" Chris asked from across the room.

"Well, first of all, I'd like to know more about my family and my second tail," Tails rattled off the list he had made in his head. "But, something I'd really like to know is why they gave me such a ridiculous name. I mean, Miles Prower may be a good joke that very few people may ever get to say is their name, but my dad should have known that it would have led to me being picked on even more as a kid. So why give me such a funny name?"

"Ha ha ha ha…" Chuck suddenly burst into a new fit of laughter at Tails' sincere question. "I'm sorry, Tails. I know that this doesn't seem funny to you, but I already thought that you had seen it earlier during Eggman's explanation."

"Seen what?" Tails questioned his friend with a look of complete puzzlement on his face.

"The line above the one that Eggman had highlighted during his explanation of your father's name, it had your father's full name in it. Even his middle name, Meiters," Chuck shared his quick observation with the rest of the people in the room.

"Then that would make my father's full name…" Tails began to think out loud as he was interrupted.

"Keylow Meiters Prower!" Sonic shouted as he fell to the floor in laughter.

Tails chuckled slightly as one of his burning, lifelong questions was finally answered. "That changes everything!" he said as the revelation sank in, "I wasn't named Miles Prower because it sounded funny to my parents; I got my name as a tradition in honor of my father!"

"That's what it sounds like to me, Tails," Chuck agreed as the room started to settle down again.

"Tails' parents must have loved him a lot if they named him after his father," Cream chimed in.

"That's right, Cream," Vanilla spoke up as she put her arms around her daughter. "Tails mom and dad loved him just as much as I love you, darling."

"That's great!" Cream was excited by this sudden revelation and hugged her mother and then Tails respectively before her, Amy, and her mother left the room together. Now the room was only occupied by the four guys: Chris, Tails, Sonic, and Chuck.

"Well, there's still a lot to do if we want the X-Tornado to be ready for tomorrow," Chuck broke the long silence. "Come on, Chris. I may need your help down in the lab for a while since Tails isn't feeling up to it."

"Sure, grandpa!" Chris excitedly replied at the chance to learn more about the complex machines that Tails and Chuck built in their secret lab.

"I can still help too, Chuck!" Tails shouted toward the retreating figures of the two humans. "I feel fine right now, honestly! Please let me come with you!" Tails futilely asked them as both turned a deaf ear to the fox's pleas.

"You aren't goin' anywhere right now, bro," Sonic informed the already antsy fox. "You know as well as I do that until we get that cure from Egghead tomorrow, you're just gonna get worse, so Mr. Tanaka hired a professional doctor to watch over you for now, in case you almost die on us again like you did several times in the hospital. That means you need to stay in bed once he gets here until we leave for the Egg Moon tomorrow evening."

"But, Sonic! Do you know what it's like to lie in bed all day with nothing to do except wait until the next time your body does something wrong?!" Tails talked with the voice of recent experience.

"Sorry, bud, but that's the way it's gotta be!" Sonic bluntly summarized the situation. "So if I were you, I'd ask to go to the bathroom or get a bite to eat now, before your stuffy-shirt doctor forces you to stay in bed for the next 24 hours."

"I guess you've got a point, Sonic," Tails admitted defeat once again to the hedgehog's logic. "I really don't want to have to go in bed again." The yellow kit swung himself out of bed and walked with Sonic to the bathroom at the end of the hallway on the second floor. It was obvious from the slow pace and difficulty Tails had in walking the short distance that the fox's body was getting weaker than ever, but at least now Tails' big blue irises seemed to have back that familiar glow of innocence and hope that had been lost for days ever since his prolonged coma last weekend.

Sonic smiled to himself as he saw the change in his brother's eyes. He knew that Tails' big, blue eyes were more than just cute, they were a window into the kit's inner feelings. It seemed that, despite his body being on the verge of death, Tails' soul was burning brighter than ever to hold everything together in a life or death test of mind over matter. _My bro will be just fine, _the blue hedgehog told himself. _He may not be fast or powerful, but he has the strongest heart that I have ever seen. There's no way that someone like him could ever die._

* * *

Meanwhile, in a secret lab deep inside the Egg Moon, a certain small, black robot and a very distinguishable mustachioed evil genius were in the middle of a battle royal...

"Consider yourself lucky that the sample I sent you after wasn't contaminated after you tried to blow yourself to pieces, you lousy dumb-bot!" Eggman shouted at an equally angry Bokkun.

"Hey! I didn't set the TV to explode after your message, you did!" Bokkun shouted back as a countersuit. "You're the one who almost destroyed me and your precious sample!!"

"Are you suggesting that the person responsible for you almost failing a simple mission is me?!" Eggman responded with a raised eyebrow. Bocoe and Decoe, who were standing at the other end of the room in silent observation, caught this tell-tale sign of a question that only had one correct answer, but Bokkun's anger blinded him to the danger.

"Yes! It's all your fault that I had to spend a whole day cleaning soot from my circuits!" Bokkun stayed on the offensive, thinking that Dr. Eggman was backing down because of his earlier question.

"Ohhh, I'm so sorry. I had no idea," Eggman spoke in a voice that was practically dripping in sarcasm. "How about I take you apart and see if you missed some!!" he suddenly shouted at the rebellious robot.

"Ahhhhh!! No, please, Dr. Eggman! Not that!!" Bokkun shouted in terror as he realized the trap he had stepped into. He quickly fired his jetpack and began to do laps around the spacious room, chased closely by Eggman with his hands full of wrenches, drills, and other tools. After a few laps, the out of shape Doctor stopped to catch his breath, and Bokkun used the time to escape through the lab's only door.

"I have never seen you get this mad at Bokkun before, Doctor!" Bocoe spoke up as he and Decoe carefully approached the panting Doctor Robotnik.

"Well, you two blockheads haven't screwed up anything for the past few days, so I haven't had anyone to yell at recently," Eggman said light-heartedly as he stood back at full height and grinned innocently.

"Still, Bokkun's mistake was a day ago, and he didn't even fail his assignment like we usually do," Decoe reminded his master. "Don't you think he has had enough punishment for now?"

"Hmmm… I suppose I could let him off the hook this time, but only because I'm in such a good mood!" Eggman smiled widely as he pointed a finger toward the sky in his classic gesture of happiness at a new evil scheme that was nearing completion.

"He sure didn't seem to be very happy a second ago," Decoe mumbled to his partner standing next to him while Eggman was distracted by his own ego.

"I agree. If that was his good mood earlier, then I don't want to see his bad mood!" Bocoe whispered back in mock terror.

"What are you two bucket-heads talking about over there?!" Eggman's voice suddenly interrupted the gossiping robots. He noticed his two assistants snap to attention at his question as he could imagine sweat beads dropping down their domed heads.

"Ummm… We were just discussing, Uhhhh… Oh, yes, your plans to get the seven chaos emeralds!" Bocoe stuttered as he made a pathetic attempt at a lie.

"Really? I thought I told you dumb-bots all about how Sonic will bring the emeralds right to me tomorrow in return for his foxy little buddy's cure," Eggman missed the obvious fib and spoke with a genuine concern for the topic Bocoe had spontaneously chosen.

"I thought you told Sonic that you were only trading the cure for four emeralds, Doctor?" Decoe said in relief of his clueless master and genuine curiosity.

"So I did, didn't I?" Eggman responded while he combed his moustache with his fingers. "Well, I guess a deal's a deal. Although it will be sad to have all six of their chaos emeralds on my Egg Moon, and let them leave with two anyways." The conniving Doctor continued stroking his moustache as he contemplated a new strategy.

"Wait, Doctor, why would Sonic bring all six chaos emeralds with him instead of just four?" Bocoe asked.

"Because he still needs two emeralds to get back to Earth after he leaves, bolt-brain!" Decoe answered before Eggman could respond.

"Hey, that's my line!" Eggman interjected in protest of the one time that any of his robotic assistants were actually quicker to the punch than him. "But anyway, I suppose that those other two emeralds are off-limits for me, now. After all, I do have an honest reputation to keep!"

"But Doctor, everyone knows that you love to lie and cheat in order to get what you want!" Decoe came in with a reality check for the egotistic evil genius.

"I agree. Doctor, what reputation are you talking about?" Bocoe insulted his master.

"Why I'll have you all know that I'm a very honorable man! Why, I've never even cheated anyone before in my life!" Eggman defended himself.

"What about the time you tricked Knuckles into giving you the chaos emeralds because you said that you would cause Chaos Control and send everybody home?" Decoe brought up an example of one of his master's not so straight dealings.

"I may have lied to that red muscle-brain at first, but Chaos Control did happen after all, didn't it?" Eggman managed to reason away his incriminating past action.

"Or what about your little Egg Virus lie that you told Tails in order to get the chaos emeralds for a fake cure?!" Bocoe came up with a more recent example. "He really thought that he was going to die!"

"OK, OK, that really was an evil trick, but at least I apologized to that furry freak for it!" Eggman refused give in to the overwhelming evidence against his claim of being honorable. "I even gave the little fox a gift to show my good will! Why, I should be knighted for being so chivalrous!"

"Your gift was a bomb, Doctor!" Bocoe shouted at the stubborn Doctor Robotnik.

"Well, it obviously didn't hurt him any because there's not a scratch on him from the exploding emerald!" Eggman retorted.

"He's hopeless," Decoe said as he shrugged his shoulders in defeat.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Now that we've proved without a doubt that I am a man of my word, I need to find a way to steal those other two emeralds from Sonic and friends without breaking our little agreement," Eggman spoke in a proud voice. "But we can deal with that later. What I want to know from you two now is if you have finished with my secret weapon yet!"

"We should be done in a few hours, Doctor," Bocoe informed his anxious master.

"What?! Why haven't you finished it already?!" Eggman questioned his slow assistants.

"You only told us to start this morning!" Decoe gave the truthful excuse. "We've been working all day until you called us here!"

"OK, don't blow a fuse on me!" Eggman calmed the irate robotic duo. "Just make sure that it's finished by tonight. I'm too busy working on Tails' virus to bother with it right now."

"So you really are going to give Tails a cure for his disease?" Bocoe asked the suddenly preoccupied Doctor.

"Of course!" Eggman gave the uninformative response.

"But, why, Doctor?" Decoe asked an equally short question.

"Because even though that foxy freak can really get on my nerves, he's the only real competition I have in manufacturing super-machines," Eggman explained. "If he were to go to the great zoo in the sky, I would be left with no one to out-design with my newest flying fortresses."

"Doctor Eggman, you actually care about Tails?!" Bocoe inquired in amazement at what he had just heard.

"NO, you rusty, overgrown calculators! I hate that fox almost as much as I hate that hedgehog!" Eggman turned and yelled at his dumbstruck assistants. Then, Eggman suddenly shifted into a more serious tone, "There's just a funny thing about hating someone, though, they have to be alive for you to do it or else it doesn't mean anything."

"Does that make any sense to you, Bocoe?" Decoe asked his partner while Eggman resumed staring into a microscope and making notes on his notepad on the desk near him.

"Almost as much sense as why Doctor Eggman would still be working on Tails' cure when he already finished it earlier today," Bocoe responded out loud.

"Good observation, Bocoe," Eggman said as he turned around in his seat with a small grin on his face. The evil Doctor held a small vial filled with a semi-clear liquid in front of the two robotic assistants. "I have indeed already finished duplicating a special gene-blocking drug that should keep Tails healthy for the rest of his miserable little life."

"Then why are you still working if Tails' cure is finished?" Bocoe repeated his earlier, implied question.

"What good is a cure without a disease?" Eggman posed the riddle to his mechanical assistants as he grinned widely. "Ha ha ha ha ha ha! I plan to use the mutated genetic code from the sample Tails so generously gave me to recreate my grandfather's virus and use it to create my own Mobian army! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho!"

"Why do you need Tails' DNA to create the virus in the first place, Doctor?" Decoe had his turn to ask a question.

"I guess I couldn't have expected you two to understand the finer points of microbiology, so I'll try to explain my little plan to dominate not just Earth, but Mobius as well!" Eggman gloated as he walked to a conveniently located slideshow projector across the lab and turned it on in preparation to unveil another one of his evil schemes.

"Why did you have to ask?" Bocoe voiced his annoyance to his partner at now having to sit through another of Eggman's long rantings illustrated by his own horrible drawings.

"Now pay attention, you dunce-bots, and you might learn something, although I doubt it highly," Eggman began his explanation. "When I first discovered my grandfather's logs on what I am now calling the real Egg Virus, I noticed that all the information on the makeup and structure of the virus itself had been purposefully deleted. No doubt my then peace loving grandfather erased it so that nobody would ever be able to duplicate his experimental virus again in the future, but he never counted on Tails' father having a son that still manages to survive today with his mutated genes. These genes are exactly what I need to discover how the recreate the Egg Virus," Eggman spoke as he advanced to a slide showing a colorful helix of DNA in the center of the screen. "When a virus attacks a cell, it injects its own DNA into the host cell which then finds the proper location in the host cell's DNA and replaces it. Normally, this causes the host cell to produce more of the virus and then die, releasing the new viruses into neighboring cells. I believe my grandfather's virus was designed to do the same thing, but, instead of making more of the virus and dying, the affected cells would instead reproduce normally, spreading the genetic mutations throughout the body quickly." The screen Eggman was projecting the slideshow on showed a piece of DNA that was colored in shades of black with a large Eggman's head icon superimposed on it replace itself into the original strand. The next slide showed the cell with the Eggman icon covering it multiplying rapidly until the screen was filled with smiling faces of the evil Doctor's face.

"Nice touch, don't you think?" Eggman asked the bored robots who stood next to the projector unamused. "Well, fine then! You try to do better with only a half-hour to work on a slideshow," Eggman said dejected at his robotic assistants' silence. "Anyway, since Tails has most, if not all, of the mutated genes that his father had gotten from the virus, and since those genes are in fact part of the virus itself, I should be able to put all of the mutated genes from Tails' DNA back together again to get the complete genetic code for my grandfather's virus! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho ho!" While Dr. Eggman was speaking, the screen showed the black fragments of DNA jump out of the strands of normal DNA that appeared on the screen and reformed in the center to create a large virus with an animated Eggman's face laughing that covered the domed top of the virus itself.

"That is genius, Doctor!" Decoe blurted out, truly impressed at his master's ingenious solution to the new Egg Virus's lost genetic recipe.

"Thank you, Decoe! It is so nice to be appreciated every now and then!" Eggman gave the rare compliment to his bumbling robotic assistant.

"Hey, it was me who asked about the new Egg Virus in the first place!" Bocoe interjected.

"Yes, but I'm the one who appreciates him the most!" Decoe shot back at his jealous partner.

"Oh, really? Well I'm the smarter one!" Bocoe shouted towards his uppity counterpart.

Eggman watched as the two robots exchanged insults with each other. He heard one of them say something about the other one's mother being a toaster before both robots entered into a large ball of dust and punches with occasional gleams of silver and gold metal poking through the carnage. "Oh my, maybe if I complimented them more often they wouldn't fight like this every time I praise one of them?" Eggman thought aloud. "Or at least it would be more amusing." He watched the fight for another minute before he lost interest and decided to break up the brawling robots. "Stop right now, you nincom-bots, or else I'll disassemble both of you!!" Eggman shouted over the noise of his fighting assistants.

Bocoe and Decoe immediately froze in the middle of their respective attacks. Bocoe had the taller Decoe's neck in an arm lock while Decoe was prying open a control panel in Bocoe's chest in an attempt to disable his friend. Both robots quickly noticed their lingering positions and released each other to stand upright at attention once again.

"That's more like it," Eggman thanked his robots for cooperating so quickly. "Now, if I may finish my presentation and show you metal-heads how I plan to use this new Egg Virus." Eggman pressed a button on the projector and the slideshow resumed, showing a picture of a large, green and blue colored planet. "This is our original world that we came from when we were sent to Earth, Mobius. My grandfather's virus does have a few flaws, one of which is that it can only infect Mobians, not humans. That means it's relatively useless on this planet, but once I have all seven emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon, I will also be able to cause chaos control to send us back to Mobius whenever I want. While the threat of annihilation from my new Death Egg will keep the President and Sonic from opposing me on Earth, I will infect hundreds of Mobians with my grandfather's Egg Virus and force the survivors to serve me or die from their own mutations. Then, my army of super-Mobians will be used to build my Eggman Empire on both worlds and finally defeat Sonic the hedgehog as well! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho ho!!" While the evil Doctor laughed, the picture of Mobius showed hundreds of Eggman's faces slowly spread around the planet until it was completely covered in his annoying, smiling icons.

"Isn't that a little too evil, Doctor?" Bocoe questioned his master's brilliant, yet appalling, plan.

"He is right, Doctor! Can't we find a way to rule both worlds without killing anyone besides Sonic?" Decoe also voiced his concern.

"You tin-can idiots, can't you see why all my other plans never work?! They're never evil enough! This plan is truly evil, which means that it has absolutely no way of failing once I get all the emeralds!" Eggman shared his reasoning with his robotic assistants that he would depend on to pull off this ultimate evil scheme.

"Well, we're still not sure that this is such a good…" Decoe began to object before a warning siren and flashing red light interrupted him.

"What is that?!" Bocoe shouted as he saw Eggman run to the main computer monitor in the center of the lab.

"It's a proximity alarm I installed to detect intruders," Eggman quickly explained as he typed frantically on the keyboard in front of him. "Ah, here are our uninvited guests! It looks like a government space shuttle coming in for a landing on the rocky half of the moon. I wonder what that's doing here?"

"Hey, Doctor Eggman! I have a message for you from the President!" Bokkun yelled out as he suddenly flew back into the room holding a small, yellow TV. "It just came a second ago, and I recorded it for you," the noticeably cautious robot said as he approached and turned on the TV set.

"Greetings, Dr. Eggman," the voice of the President came through the speakers as the video began, "I'm sure that when you get this message, you will have already no doubt detected a small, unarmed space shuttle heading towards the Egg Moon. I would like to kindly ask that you not interfere or waylay this vessel as it is a research ship on course for a lunar landing for purely scientific purposes. I regret not being able to contact you earlier about this matter, but I only learned about the mission myself after the shuttle was already launched earlier this morning. I thank you for your understanding and cooperation." The video suddenly ended with the Presidential seal covering the screen for a moment and then disappearing into static.

"We are being visited by astronauts! How fun!" Decoe excitedly announced.

"No, you fool," Eggman immediately stifled his assistant's enthusiasm. "The President must be lying to himself if he thinks that I can't see through his little ruse. That ship has a spy on board sent to investigate my newest plans, and I'm willing to bet that it's the same little spy that got a hold of my plans in the first place."

"What should we do then, Doctor?" Bocoe asked.

"Nothing," Eggman replied to the obvious question. "That annoying little bat probably thinks that she got the real schematics for my Egg Moon when she broke into my secret underwater base. She will probably be wandering around for years before she finds the controls for the Eclipse Cannon or my secret lab! Whoo ho ho ho ho…" the overconfident Doctor continued to laugh as the three robots shared a glance at each other.

"Do you really think that it is such a good idea just to let spies roam freely on the Egg Moon, Doctor?" Decoe risked contradicting his master.

"Of course it is, as long as you three finish that secret project I told you to do today!" Eggman stopped laughing as he stared at the trio of robots. "Now get going and hurry!" he dismissed them as he turned to resume his work on a large containment and power chamber for the seven chaos emeralds that could greatly amplify their already almost boundless energy and send the power out to other machines directly. He chuckled to himself as he was finally left alone with his work. "Oh, Sonic! For so long you've been an annoying blue thorn in my backside that thwarted my every plan for world domination, but tomorrow you will unknowingly deliver the very things I need to finally rule both worlds! And after you bring me the rest of the chaos emeralds, I'll make sure to take care of you for good! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho…"


	17. Chapter 15: Egg Moon or Bust

Lethal Mutation

Welcome back, my most excellent readers! Whoops, sorry! When I'm stuck in bed for a while, I tend to watch the strangest movies such as Bill and Ted's Bogus Adventure. (Anyone who knows what I'm talking about, yell it with me, "Station!!" Oh, disclaimer, I don't own, or even wish to own, Bill and Ted and anything related to them.) OK, well I think that clarifies as feverish ranting, so on to the list of reviewers! My most excellent thanks goes out to: ChibiRyou200, Nicend, Rae Logan, Shika Kev Prower, Pokelad, Koike, Asher Tye, Siran 774, Zachary W, and brave kid! Also, new reviewer alert for a most awesome reader, peterskywalker! (I guess the video clip of the Ewoks should have been saved for this occasion instead, huh? Well, I have one on Padme that would work, but this fanfic is only rated teen, so... Joking!) Oh, and for anyone who cares to know (which, surprisingly, seems to be a lot of you), I am feeling a little better today.

Now, on to the main event! Here it is, the point that the whole story has been working up towards, the Egg Moon confrontation! Will Eggman get the emeralds, power up the Eclipse Cannon, and infect all of Mobius with his new Egg Virus?! Will Knuckles and Rouge manage to stop him in time?! Will Sonic actually go through with the trade?! Will Eggman cheat the hedgehog somehow?! Will Tails even survive?! Will I ever stop asking questions?! (pant, pant) OK, well, at least you know the answer to that last question. Now, read on to answer the rest!

Chapter 15: Egg Moon or Bust

It was now approximately 4:30 p.m. at the Thorndike's residence on a peaceful Wednesday afternoon. Instead of the usual activities of the day, however, almost the entire household was gathered at the long driveway on which the X-Tornado now idled...

"OK, we're all set to go!" Chuck shouted as he finally reemerged from a panel in the rear of one of the X-Tornado's large engines. He and Chris had finished installing the brand new emerald powered laser cannon into the nose of the aircraft hours ago and were just now completing some last minute systems checks before takeoff.

"Alright everybody, you heard the man!" Amy suddenly shouted as if she was running the whole operation herself. "It's time to get in the X-Tornado and go meet that Eggman!" The pink hedgehog immediately leaped onto the X-Tornado's wing and began to take her seat in the rear of the X-Tornado's second cockpit behind Christopher Thorndike at the backup controls in the rear cockpit.

"It's strange to be sitting right here where Tails usually sits," Chuck commented as he climbed a short series of steps and took his spot at the main controls in the X-Tornado's forward cockpit. He was forced to stand up again so he could slide the seat back almost a whole foot to accommodate his much longer legs. "Wow, I knew Tails was small, but I never realized he was really this short," the scientist said to himself.

"Where is Tails anyway?" Chris asked after overhearing his grandfather's commentary.

"He's still in bed with the doctor right now, Chris," Amy informed the boy from the seat behind him.

"Don't sweat it, guys. I'll juice on upstairs and see if he's ready yet," Sonic volunteered as he leapt from his usual resting spot on the rear wing of the X-Tornado and dashed back towards the mansion. He made it all the way to the door into his and Tails' shared bedroom before the house-calling doctor stopped him as he exited the room.

"I'm sorry, Sonic the hedgehog, but you can't come in right now," the man told the hurried blue blur.

"Why not?" Sonic defiantly asked, as he was not accustomed to being told what to do. "Is Tails takin' a leak, or is something wrong with him again?" the worried hedgehog quickly added to his chain of questions.

"No, Tails is perfectly fine right now, although he has been getting much worse," the doctor informed Sonic. "But, right now he is resting rather well, and I don't think it would be a good idea to disturb him."

"Well, I guess that's just too bad for my little bro," Sonic spoke sympathetically for the exhausted fox. "You see, doc, we just finished the final preparations for the X-Tornado, and it's time to go now."

"Very well, but may I again voice my professional opinion that Tails, right now, is far too sick to travel anywhere despite the fact that…" the doctor began to object before a scream of pain traveled through the door behind him.

"AAAAAHHHHH!! SONIIIIIC!!" the voice blared at a volume loud enough to force the doctor and hedgehog just outside the door to cover their ears.

"TAILS!" Sonic shouted as the high decibel scream still rang in his head. He and the doctor flung open the door to the room and were at the fox's bedside in no more than an instant. Lying on his bed before them was a writhing yellow ball of fur with its tails and hands wrapped tightly across its chest. The mass of agony that was Tails continued screaming loudly as his body was wracked by waves of pain so powerful that the blue hedgehog swore he could physically see them sweeping across his brother's skin. A cardiograph machine that was hooked up to the spasing fox suddenly changed from an unnaturally rapid tempo of electronic beeps to a long, monotonic warning klaxon as Tails' heart rate went from dangerously high into a dead stop in an instant. Almost simultaneously, the writhing ball of yellow on the bed stopped all movements of any kind altogether.

The doctor mumbled several cuss words at himself from under his breath as he quickly tried to pry the fox's frozen limbs away from his white chest. As he unraveled the self-entangled kit, he also started yelling into a radio on his shirt's left shoulder, "Code Blue! Code Blue! I need a defib and paramedics at the Thorndike residence stat!" Barely had he finished this brief message than the doctor began performing CPR on the unconscious fox's body.

Sonic stood away from the bed with his mouth still open from his earlier reply to Tails' cries for help. He observed the doctor's quick and professional response to the emergency as he himself stood paralyzed with fear. He wanted more than anything to help his little bro, but the suddenness of Tails' degradation from a calm rest to a body that was now mostly dead bound his unstoppable feet to the floor below him. After each passing second, Sonic grew surer that he had been wrong and that his adopted little brother's time had indeed run out. But, despite the revelation of his huge loss, the hedgehog's eyes refused to tear up as a deep seated hope told him to hold on a little while longer before grieving for his friend.

Just then, a team of paramedics miraculously burst in the door and wasted no time in charging a portable defibrillator and shocking Tails' body with a high intensity burst of electricity. The yellow furred vulpine leaped about half a foot out of bed at the blast but remained lifeless. A second shock also proved unsuccessful as Sonic turned his head from the hopeless scene and felt his mind starting to fill with memories and what if's. A third charge followed and the cardiograph suddenly jumped to life with a welcome beeping noise. The noise became rhythmic as Tails' heart once again resumed its proper tempo and stabilized. Moments later, the yellow fox unexpectedly sprung into the sitting position on his bed as the paramedics already began to re-pack the life saving shock paddles.

"Tails! You're alive!" Sonic shouted out of joy as he ran up to the reanimated fox and grabbed him in a tight bear hug. The hedgehog shed tears of joy into his stunned friend's yellow fur as he rejoiced at Tails' closest call yet to actually dying on him. To his surprise, instead of pulling back out of shock at the sudden hug attack, Tails instead placed his arms around Sonic as well and returned the blue hedgehog's embrace.

"I'm fine, Sonic. Please don't cry," Tails said as Sonic tried to compose himself again.

"Aren't you at least a little surprised at what's goin' on, bro?" Sonic spoke as he released his grip from the miraculously surviving fox.

"No, not this time, Sonic," Tails answered in a voice that sounded like the kit was ages older than he really was. "I know exactly what happened, big brother. I saw the whole thing."

"But that's impossible, little bro!" Sonic commented, "You were dead! Your heart stopped!!"

"I know," Tails continued unphased, "But I saw everything anyway. I saw my body, the doctor doing CPR, the paramedics, even you standing in the corner alone, Sonic. I can't explain it; it was like I was flying around the room while I was dead." The yellow fox shook his head as if it would help to clear his strange vision from his mind.

"Interesting," the doctor, who had been preoccupied with checking Tails' now stable vitals interrupted into the so far two-person conversation. "I do believe that Mr. Prower is describing an out-of-body experience. These are very rare and there is currently no medical explanation for this strange occurrence."

"Gee, your disease just keeps getting weirder and weirder, buddy," Sonic observed as the shock of almost losing his adopted brother finally wore off. This relief suddenly allowed him to remember the cause of his being in Tails' room in the first place. "Whoa! I almost forgot! We've got to hurry, bro! Everyone's waitin' for us so we can take off for the Egg Moon!"

Tails nodded his head once and immediately started putting his shoes on. The paramedics had already packed up and left, so the doctor was left alone with Sonic to stare at the fumbling young fox as he barely managed to get out of bed, despite being clinically dead minutes ago.

"I object completely to this lunacy! Mr. Prower cannot be allowed to leave this bed!" the doctor spoke in utter horror of what would happen if the fox was allowed to travel where he could not render medical assistance in a split second if needed. "I am very sorry, but Tails will have to remain here while you go to the Egg Moon for his cure. It is simply too risky to allow him to leave my sight while he is in this condition!"

"Sorry, doc!" Sonic shouted while he scooped up his little brother in both hands in a cradle carry, "But the sooner Tails gets that cure, the better. And I don't want to make him wait until we get back for him to have it." With that, the blue hedgehog zoomed out of the room with Tails in his arms, before the doctor could even repeat his objections.

The blue hedgehog dashed straight outside to the waiting X-Tornado as the entire Thorndike residence was saying their final farewells to Chuck, Chris, and Amy in the idling plane. They all turned to face the approaching hedgehog and fox with puzzled expressions on their faces. As Sonic hopped up to the forward cockpit with Tails still in his hands, Amy finally broke the silence.

"What took you so long, Sonic?" the pink hedgehog taunted her self-proclaimed boyfriend from the rear of the plane.

"Never mind that!" Chuck shouted out from the forward cockpit controls next to Sonic and his furry cargo, "What was that ambulance doing here just a second ago?"

"Well… Uhhh… Tails, buddy, how should I put this?" Sonic sought help from his younger sibling.

"I'll tell them, Sonic," Tails replied. The fox smiled as he saw the relief on Sonic's face from being bailed out of a difficult explanation. "Chuck, I think that just a few minutes ago, I died."

"WHAT?!" Chuck and everyone else within earshot screamed in horror and confusion.

"I think you could have said that a little better, bro," Sonic gently reprimanded his brother for being way too blunt. He had forgotten that Tails always preferred to go straight to the heart of any discussion instead of beating around the bush or gradually working up to a shocking statement like most other people.

"Well, I guess that was a little sudden," Tails admitted before he decided a longer explanation was needed. "Actually, what happened was that I went into another one of those chest pains that hurt so bad I was knocked out. Then, while I was unconscious, my heart stopped beating and almost didn't start again, even after the paramedics arrived."

"Oh my! Tails, sweetie, are you sure you should be going with them to the Egg Moon after almost dying a minute ago?" Ella called out to the fox from beside the driveway the X-Tornado was parked on.

"Don't try to stop him, Ella," Mr. Tanaka shot down her question before Tails could say anything. "Master Tails' best chance for survival is to get that cure from Dr. Eggman as soon as possible. After such a close call just a minute ago, Master Tails probably realizes that he is not likely to survive his next attack from his body's neurotoxins."

"Don't say that, Mr. Tanaka!" Chris called out from his seat in the X-Tornado's rear cockpit controls. "Tails will make it because he knows that we all care for him too much for him to die!"

"I wish that was true, Chris," Tails turned to address the worried boy face to face. "The truth is, no matter how much I want to stay and live here with you, Chuck, Sonic, and everyone else, very soon my body will get so weak that I can't even hold on any longer if I wanted to."

"Don't talk like that, Tails!" a young voice called out that was rarely heard in the angry tone it now possessed. "You're going to get that cure from Eggman, and it's going to make you all better so that we can play again!" Cream assured the fox.

"Thanks, Cream," Tails replied as he started to climb into the X-Tornado's unoccupied seat behind Chuck in the forward cockpit. As he got seated in the rear chair, Tails realized for the first time what a small field of vision it offered because of the pilot's seat in front of him. "Wow, I don't think I could ever get used to this, Chuck," Tails told his partner that now occupied his usual seat.

"Sorry, Tails. But you are in no condition to fly right now," Chuck reminded the disappointed fox. "If you feel anything wrong at all back there, just use your headset or yell at me and I'll have Sonic open the cockpit and jump in with you."

"OK, Chuck. I understand," Tails acknowledged the emergency procedures that, for the first time, seemed to be extremely likely to need to be used on this trip.

The X-Tornado taxied down the driveway a little ways as the spectators beside the plane stepped further away from the roadway in caution. As soon as the palm trees were fully tilted away from the X-Tornado's takeoff path, Chuck increased power to the engines, and the plane, its passengers, and a blue hedgehog standing between the two cockpits to be as close as possible to his little brother rose into the sky. The aircraft circled the Thorndike mansion once before rocketing straight up towards the unseen stars.

* * *

"Are you sure you know where we're going?" Knuckles questioned his so far unhelpful partner.

"Of course I do! I just can't understand why this map of Eggy's base is so wrong," Rouge immediately countered as she stopped for the twentieth time to try and find their position on her worthless map she had downloaded from Eggman's secret underwater base. Her locator device showed that her current position was in the middle of the Egg Moon's garbage incinerator, but she knew that if that was their true location, then she and Knuckles would already be ashes by now.

"Sure, blame it on the map," Knuckles shot back with a short snort to annoy the flustered bat.

"I knew that bringing you along was a bad idea," Rouge calmly responded as she continued staring at her wristwatch locator device.

"Hey, you invited me! Besides, the President obviously thought it was a good idea, or I wouldn't be here right now, now would I?" Knuckles pressed the bat, enjoying every moment of his verbal superiority over her for once. "Just admit it, you're lost."

"Arrrrgggh... Fine, you annoying, red muscle-head!" Rouge snapped at the compounded taunting of the incorrect map and unsympathetic echidna. "I'll admit it, I'm completely lost!"

"Ha! That just goes to prove that us men have more talent at finding our way around than you women!" Knuckles stated as he reveled in the satisfaction of beating Rouge in her own game.

"Oh, is that so?" Rouge sarcastically remarked as she quickly turned the tides on the unsuspecting echidna. "Well, if you are so much better than me at finding your way around, then why don't you try to take us to the Eclipse Cannon's control room? Hmmm?"

"Wait! But I… I mean, the map… or maybe… Actually, you know what, I will find that control room myself and prove that I'm a better treasure hunter than you once and for all!" Knuckles accepted the challenge despite not having a clue as to their current location, let alone the location of their target.

Knuckles marched off to a crossing between his current hallway and another identical hallway that they may have already passed several times before and not known about it. Rouge shrugged her shoulders as she slowly followed the obviously clueless red echidna. Both of them froze as they heard voices coming from the other hallway and steadily approaching their position. They quickly hid in a nearby doorway as the voices got loud enough to make out the speakers' words.

"You guys were almost late! What kept you, slowpokes?" Bokkun's voice was easily distinguishable from the approaching crowd.

"Tails got a lot worse all the sudden and almost died right before we took off," Chris informed the black robot.

"Well, it's a good thing he survived or else Dr. Eggman wouldn't have anyone to give his cure to!" the diminutive flying robot said as he led the group down the hallway. "Just straight ahead is the observatory room where Eggman wants to meet with you."

"Yeah, but how much farther is it, Bokkun?" Sonic's irritated voice could be heard clearly as the procession passed by the hallway Knuckles and Rouge were hiding in. "I'm not sure how much longer my little bro can last."

"Not much farther," the small robot unhelpfully answered.

Knuckles heard the voices starting to fade as the group began walking further away from his position. Quickly, he started to walk out of the doorway he was hiding in and announce his presence to the retreating procession, but he was stopped by a gloved hand that covered his mouth and pulled him back into the darkened room.

"What's the matter with you, Rouge?!" Knuckles shouted softly at the strangely behaving bat. "That was Sonic, Tails, and the rest of them! We should have joined them and seen where they were going!"

"Hello, Earth to Knuckles! Don't you remember why Sonic and his pals are here in the first place?" Rouge tried to remind the dense echidna. "If they're here now, then that means that Eggman is about to get the chaos emeralds!"

"But, wait! We haven't disabled the Eclipse Cannon yet!" Knuckles realized in horror. "If they give Eggman the emeralds now…" the crimson echidna's words trailed off at the understood ending to his sentence.

"Exactly, muscle-brain," Rouge confirmed Knuckles' fears.

"So the prophecy was true after all," Knuckles almost whispered as he stared at his open palm in front of him. "We were destined to fail at disabling the Eclipse Cannon in time, so that the only other option is for Sonic to not trade the emeralds for Tails' cure. Tails really does have to die in order for me to save both our worlds."

"I suppose that this might be a bad time to say 'I told you so,'" Rouge broke in with the unhelpful comment.

Knuckles refused to respond as he stood transfixed, staring at his open palm in deep thought of choosing duty over morals or vice versa. Finally, he clenched his hand into a fist as he looked down the hallway that Sonic and his friends had just disappeared into. "I really don't have a choice now. I have to tell Sonic that he needs to let Tails go, or else Eggman will destroy everything."

"You know that he's not going to listen to you," Rouge gave the echidna an unnecessary reality check.

"I know," Knuckles spoke solemnly. "I really don't want Tails to die either, but it's the only way. I guess I'll just have to fight Sonic until he realizes the truth."

"Well then, we'd better get moving if we're going to stop that exchange," Rouge spurred herself and the crestfallen Knuckles to stop talking and start running down the hallway after the earlier group.

* * *

Sonic walked into an expansive domed room with a whole wall on one side that was a large window looking out towards Earth as the Egg Moon slowly rotated around the planet. His eyes were torn away from the scenic view as he felt Tails shift positions in his arms. The yellow kit was now too weak to even walk on his own and even his fidgeting from the discomfort of constant carrying was becoming less frequent. Chuck, Chris, and Amy also entered the room as Bokkun flew in last before the door closed. "OK, Bokkun, we followed you here. Now where is Eggman?" Sonic questioned his guide as the whole group assembled near the center of the room.

"I'm right here, Sonic the hedgehog," Eggman's voice rang out as a hatch in the roof opened and the obese doctor floated down in his hover chair. All around the room, smaller hatches also opened in the roof as a squad of Eggman's robotic, bipedal mech sentries dropped into the room as well.

"Hey! What's the deal here, Eggman?!" Sonic shouted as he began to suspect that he had been double-crossed.

"Now, Sonic, there's no need for alarm. These robots are merely here as my security to see that you don't try anything funny," Eggman explained. "So then, how is our furry little friend?" Eggman spoke as he hovered over to within feet of Sonic and glanced at the yellow and white creature in his hands.

"Your little antidote hasn't worked long enough, doc," Sonic gave a brief summary of Tails' rapidly degenerating body. "Tails has already almost died on us once, and now he's too weak to even walk or say anything. You'd better have that cure ready, now!"

"Of course I do, Sonic," Eggman replied as though he had been hurt that the hedgehog would even think he could possibly let Tails die. "See, it's right here." Eggman held up a large vial filled with a semi-transparent liquid with about the same consistency as a liquid gel. "Now, I believe that our deal was to trade this for four of your chaos emeralds. I do hope that you brought them with you."

Sonic nodded once to Chris, who proceeded to remove his backpack and pull out four emeralds. The room dazzled in a bright display of purple, green, red, and light blue as the boy held two in each hand.

"Splendid, now place them on the platform in the center of the floor." Eggman instructed.

"Hold on! Give us Tails' cure first, Eggman!" Amy shouted as she smelled another one of Eggman's evil traps.

"And then have you pests run off with my emeralds as well? I don't think so. Sonic will place the emeralds on the floor between us, I will hand him the cure, and then I'll take the emeralds," Eggman set the terms to prevent this from becoming a contest in who has the quickest hands.

"Sounds good to me, Egghead," Sonic approved as he handed Tails over to Chuck and Amy and grabbed the four emeralds from Chris. Carefully, Sonic approached the center of the room. No sooner had he placed the emeralds into the center of a ring in the middle of the floor and reached to grab hold of Tails' cure from the Doctor's extended hand, then the door behind him blew inwards from an incredible blow. Staring at the occupants of the room from the now permanently opened doorway stood a red echidna that had the look of a person that was geared up for a fight.

"Whatever you do, don't trade the emeralds for that cure, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted with more resolve than he actually felt.

"Now's not a very good time, Knucklehead!" Sonic retorted as he tried to figure out what the echidna was doing here in the first place.

"You can't trade the emeralds to him; it's a trap! Eggman needs those emeralds to power the Eclipse Cannon and hold the world hostage!" Knuckles quickly revealed the evil Doctor's plans to the unsuspecting hedgehog.

"What?! The Eclipse Cannon is here, on the Egg Moon?!" Sonic said as his jaw dropped.

"Duh, Sonic!" Knuckles rudely answered.

"Wait! You mean, if we give Eggman these emeralds, the whole world may be destroyed?!" Chris summarized the situation in the simplest way possible.

"Bingo, kid," Rouge confirmed as she also stepped through the mutilated doorway.

"Rouge! Well now, isn't this a little surprise seeing you here?" Eggman broke in with a tone that suggested that he wasn't surprised at all. "I do wish you would have kept our little secret between us until after I had all the emeralds, but I suppose that now you have let the cat out of the bag, I will be forced to change the rules for this little exchange!"

"Wait a second! Did you just say ALL the emeralds?!" Amy shouted as she noticed the evil Doctor's small slip up.

Knuckles momentarily dropped his fighting stance as he caught glimpse of the four emeralds on the ground in the center of the room. "Hey! Amy's right! Where are the other two emeralds, Sonic?"

"Heh, we suspected that Egghead might try and trick us, so we left the last two emeralds safely in the X-Tornado and only told Eggman he could have these," Sonic replied with a grin across his face at having double-crossed the double-crossing Eggman.

"Whoooo ho ho ho ho ho!! Oh, Sonic, did you really think that I couldn't predict your every move?!" Eggman laughed at the naïve hedgehog as the blue hero's smirk instantly disappeared. "You know, after all the improvements your foxy little friend here has made to your infernal flying contraption, I would have expected that he would have thought of a lock for the cockpit!"

"No…" Tails weakly called out as he realized his biggest mistake to date. The extremely weakened yellow fox had somehow managed to stand back up on his own power, but leaned heavily on Chuck's legs for support as he took in the whole scene.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! I'm afraid that's a yes, Tails!" Eggman maliciously taunted the pale fox. "Bocoe! Decoe! Bring in the last two emeralds!" A door on Eggman's side of the room opened as his two mechanical assistants walked into the room, each holding a chaos emerald in its hands. The silver and gold robots placed the glowing yellow and blue emeralds into the circle in the center of the room with the others.

"What do we do now, Sonic?" Chris asked as he saw a huge change in the status quo to Eggman's favor. "Everything has changed now."

"Nothing has changed except the price of my cure. You can either trade all six of your emeralds to me for Tails' cure, Sonic, or you can take the emeralds back and let him die." Eggman set the new terms. "The choice is up to you. But, try any funny business and my robots will open fire on you all!"

"Don't even think about it, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted before the hedgehog could again reach for the cure. "If you let Eggman keep those emeralds, then he'll have all seven he needs for the Eclipse Cannon!"

"So, I'm just supposed to let my little bro die?!" Sonic shouted back at the red echidna as week-old wounds were thorn open again, only this time much worse than before because the threat was immediate and real.

"You have to, Sonic!" Knuckles tried one last effort to convince the hedgehog of the truth. "The Master Emerald sent me a vision that said that the one who was born to die must fulfill his destiny, or else the whole world would share his fate! Can't you see?! The one who was born to die is Tails, and, unless you refuse that cure and get those emeralds back from Eggman, the whole world may get destroyed!"

"You just gotta be making this up! Tails can't die in order to fulfill some kind of prophecy! He's my little bro!!" Sonic screamed as he clasped his hands over his throbbing head.

"Sorry, handsome. I know it may be hard to accept, but do you really think that Knuckie over here could possibly come up with a story like that on his own?" Rouge pointed out to the disbelieving hedgehog and friends.

"Sonic…" a weak voice called out from Chuck's position. Tails looked like he was about to say something when the small fox suddenly collapsed face first to the floor at Chuck's feet.

"Tails!" Sonic yelled as he instantly dashed to his brother's side. He rolled the limp fox onto its back as he checked for any sign of life from his little brother. To his relief, Tails was still breathing, but the fox's always bright blue eyes had now become a pale shade of grey as the kit's very life seemed to escape from its small body. Sonic held on to the comatose fox in horror as he realized that this was the final loss for his adopted brother and that the neurotoxins would soon claim his innocent life forever.

"It looks like you are running out of time, Sonic," Eggman goaded the distraught blue hedgehog. "If you take Tails' cure now, you might still have time to save him. But if you decide to take back those emeralds, he will most certainly die."

Sonic gently lowered his brother's head into the lap of the kneeling Chuck as Chris also sat down to care for the dying fox. He slowly walked toward the center of the room to make his decision as all eyes turned on him. Just before he got to the center of the room however, a red echidna stepped into his way with fists at the ready.

"I'm sorry, Sonic, but I can't let you do this," Knuckles calmly spoke to the barely composed hedgehog.

"Out of the way, Knuckles," Sonic threatened in a soft, but still ominous, tone.

"No," the living red obstacle made its intentions clear, "I don't want Tails to die either, Sonic, but it's for the greater good. If you want to get that cure from Eggman, then you'll have to go through me first."

"Then you'd better hope that you're ready, Knucklehead," Sonic accepted the challenge as he also closed his hands into fists and faced down the equally determined echidna.

"Are those two really going to fight each other at a time like this?" Amy asked the cool-headed bat that had walked up beside her.

"Boys will be boys, I suppose," Rouge answered as the two fighters collided in a blur of blue and red near the large window in the observatory room that overlooked a peaceful Earth. "I think this situation calls for a little girl power, don't you agree?"

"What did you have in mind?" Amy asked the smiling Rouge. The pink hedgehog showed her willingness to cooperate in the tone of her voice as she stealthily reached back for the handle of her giant Piko Piko Hammer.


	18. Chapter 16: The Fate of a Fox

Lethal Mutation

OK, I've got some apologizing to do before I start this chapter. First off, I would like to formally say I'm sorry to Tails for blaming him for whatever disease I have now. So far today I've felt almost twice as bad as yesterday, and I finally came to the conclusion that Tails would never give such a bad illness to anyone, least of all one of his biggest fans! (Drandu, I think that Eggthrax theory might be worthy of a second look.) Also, I have to say that I'm very sorry to Tailsfan007! He/she has reviewed twice already, and I've never listed his/her name with the others! (I blame it entirely on the fact that you could fry an egg on my forehead right now. lol, maybe) This is also probably the first time that I didn't really look forward to writing the long list of repeat reviewers because of my illness, but you guys deserve it, so, my thanks to: Rae Logan, Zachary W, brave kid, Danielle (who is probably going to kill me for posting when I feel this bad), ChibiRyou200, cari la fenix, Dareth (I think you've reviewed once before, but I forgot to check), Koike, Shika Kev Prower (tell Tails I'm sorry!), Nicend, Asher Tye, and the extremely frequent peterskywalker! By the way, the very first person to review this new chapter will be the official 150th reviewer, so the race is on!

As for this chapter, the title pretty much says it all! But for all of you readers who think that this chapter is going to be the end, guess again! So much is going on in the story right now, that the real climax of my fanfic will be next chapter, in a wonderful two-part finale! (And, of course, the parts will be posted separately, for all of you who hate suspense.) Think I might be stretching this ending out a little too much? Well, read on and prepare to change your mind entirely! (Warning: plot twist alert!) But, at least for now you will learn if Tails lives or dies... or will you? (evil laugh) (Ooooohh... no more evil laughs unless I really **do** want to be like Tails when he got sick.) :( Well, have fun! (because I sure won't.)

Chapter 16: The Fate of a Fox

The extremely serene view of Earth outside the Observatory Room's giant window now stood out in stark contrast to the events going on inside the expansive room...

The room was filled with flashes of red and blue as the two brawlers continued to duke it out. Sonic fought with lightning fast dodges and kicks, while Knuckles simply rolled with the hits and focused on delivering vicious counter attacks. The two creatures seemed almost evenly matched as they kept on hammering each other with blow after blow.

Eggman was watching the scene with sadistic glee as Knuckles landed a punch on Sonic that sent the hedgehog flying across the cathedral sized room and making a crater in the wall from the impact. "Whooo ho ho ho! If these two keep pounding each other like this, I won't have any trouble trying to defeat them both!"

Sonic pried himself out of the hedgehog-shaped imprint he had made in the wall and charged a spin dash straight at Knuckles. The red echidna barely dodged the lethal blue buzz saw as he felt a rush of wind that was inches from his dreadlocks and may have trimmed a few of them. The rotating blue ball wheeled around and started chasing Knuckles around the room. The quick thinking echidna slalomed back and forth through the bipedal mechs that Eggman had stationed around the perimeter of the room, hoping to lose the spinning hedgehog. Sonic refused to be shaken as he simply took the easy route through all of the robots' central cores.

Upon seeing the collateral damage the two fighters were making, Eggman began to worry that the uncontrollable brawl might endanger his position of power in the room and started to yell at the careless attackers, "Hey, those are my robots! You can't attack them, they aren't a part of your little squabble!" However, the fighting continued as more robots fell to the accidental attacks of both Sonic and Knuckles.

"Hey, Eggman!" the voice of a pink hedgehog called out to him from next to his floating chair, "I want to know more about this Egg Moon thingy. It must have been really hard to build all this so quickly, huh?"

The distracted Dr. Robotnik turned to face his questioner as he wondered why Amy would choose now, of all times to ask him a question like that. "Well, umm… yes, yes it was rather difficult. Luckily, I am such an evil genius that it only took me a little while to find the perfect design and devise a way to program the materials so it would practically build itself. I do wonder, however, why the sudden curiosity?"

"Huh? Oh, right! I almost forgot!" Amy spoke in a voice that made her seem like an innocent little schoolgirl that was caught up in a situation that she couldn't understand. "Well, these two could keep fighting each other for a long time, and…"

"And?" Eggman repeated after the pink hedgehog paused for a few seconds.

"And, well, I really need to use the little ladies room," Amy almost whispered over the noise of the battling hedgehog and echidna.

"Oh ho! Well, why didn't you just say so!" Eggman answered her unspoken request. "Bokkun, why don't you show our lovely guest to the nearest bathroom."

"What?! But I wanted to watch the fight!" the floating robot declined from next to Eggman's levitating chair.

"Actually, I'd prefer it if you could just give me a map," Amy sweetly asked the also preoccupied Eggman. "I am plenty old enough to find it without a chaperone." The pink hedgehog barely managed to keep her anger in check at having to act so cute and out of character for Rouge's plan to work. She hazarded a glance at the center of the room where Rouge was sneaking up to the six chaos emeralds slowly, as not to draw any attention from Eggman while Amy distracted him.

"Certainly. I would like to think of myself as nothing if not a hospitable evil genius!" Eggman pridefully remarked. He handed Amy a small, transparent circle of glass that displayed her current location and the hallways surrounding the observatory room she was in. "The nearest bathroom is down this hall and left at the…"

"Doctor Eggman! Someone is trying to steal the chaos emeralds!" Bocoe suddenly interrupted as he spotted Rouge creaping towards the gems in the center of the room.

"It's a trick! You were only trying to distract me!" Eggman shouted as he realized the real reason behind Amy's unusually sweet attitude. He quickly hit a button on his control panel in front of him and the small circle that held the emeralds in the center of the floor suddenly opened up, letting the emeralds tumble down a long chute to his secret lab below.

Rouge leaped at the emeralds as she saw the floor underneath them give way. She stretched her hands out as far as she could and managed to touch one of the gems before it and the other five emeralds fell down the seemingly endless pit. She got up and tried to fly into the narrow chute after the jewels, but realized that the trap door was already sealed shut again. "Smooth move, gal. Now how are we supposed to get those emeralds?" Rouge blamed Amy for the mishap.

"Hey, I didn't give you away; you got caught red handed!" Amy defended herself from the angry bat's accusations.

"Whatever you say, Mrs. Looselips," Rouge taunted back at the pink hedgehog.

"I don't care who did what! You two tried to trick me, and now you'll pay the consequences!" Eggman shouted in anger. "Sentry bots, ATTACK!!"

The volume of Eggman's command was so loud that it even caused Sonic and Knuckles to pause in the middle of their respective assaults. All eyes turned to the floating chair near the center of the room as all noise in the room ceased completely. Sweat beads began forming on Dr. Robotnik's head as he realized that none of his robotic guards were firing.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but who were you just ordering to attack?" Decoe asked his confused master.

"Yes, Doctor, your sentry bots have already all been destroyed by Sonic and Knuckles," Bocoe informed the greatly embarrassed Eggman.

"Hah, looks to me like you're the one that has no control of the situation now!" Knuckles called from where he stood last in his brawl with Sonic.

"Not so fast, my bothersome little guests!" Eggman quickly regained his composure and responded. "You may have defeated some of my robotic guards, but I still have all seven emeralds and this!" Eggman lifted the vial filled with Tails' cure above his head to show to the entire room. "Now you must all do exactly as I say, or else this container will be shattered, along with Tails' last hope for survival! Whoo ho ho ho ho…huh?" Eggman stopped his evil, maniacal laughter as his hand that had been holding the vial above his head suddenly felt lighter.

"Sorry, Egghead, but we paid for this, fair and square!" Sonic shouted as he dashed away with the cure in his hands.

"Arrrgghhh! You annoying little hedgehog! Enjoy your little victory while you still can, because now that I have all the emeralds, the entire world will soon belong to the Eggman Empire! Whoooo ho ho ho ho ho ho!!" the egotistical Doctor called out to the occupants of the room before disappearing with Decoe, Bocoe, and Bokkun down another secret shaft into the Egg Moon's main laboratory.

"Hurry, Sonic, over here!" Chuck called out to the hedgehog as he still kneeled on the hard floor, cradling the delicate fox's head in his arms.

Sonic quickly ran over to Chuck and also kneeled down at his little brother's dying body. He placed his free hand on the young fox's chest and was alarmed to feel that Tails' skin below his soft yellow fur had already begun to drop to the same temperature as the hard metal floor he now lay on. Tails now looked more like a corpse than anything else as Sonic wondered if he had been too late. Only the slight rise and fall of the vulpine's chest proved to Sonic that his bro was indeed still alive.

"Chris, take that vial from Sonic and put it into the inoculation device," Chuck ordered his grandson.

"Right, grandpa," Chris confirmed his instructions as he took a mechanical device from his backpack that looked like a robotic surgical needle. The boy quickly loaded the vial full of Tails' cure into the strange machine and handed it to Sonic.

"What do I do with this thing?" Sonic asked in bewilderment.

"Put it on Tails' arm and press the button," Chuck instructed the confused hedgehog. "The device should automatically inject the cure into Tails' body as long as you hold it very still for a few seconds."

Sonic immediately complied as he placed the diabolical-looking machine onto Tails' right arm. "Just consider yourself lucky that you aren't awake right now bro," he mentioned to the unconscious fox as the hedgehog imagined the pain he was about to inflict on his little brother. Sonic pressed the single large button on top of the device as he held it steady for about ten seconds, until a tone told him that it was safe to remove the contraption from the fox's arm.

"Now what?" Knuckles broke in as several seconds passed by with no change in the fox's outward appearance. Everyone else had slowly circled around the scene unnoticed as Sonic had administered the cure to Tails.

"I guess we just have to wait," Amy spoke up as all eyes stayed glued to the yellow fox.

"Now there's a brilliant plan! Let's all just stand around while Eggman destroys the world with the Eclipse Cannon, shall we?" Rouge crossed her arms as she alerted the rest of the assembled group to the greater danger.

"Rouge is right, guys," Knuckles said in a rare agreement with the bat that annoyed him constantly, "If we don't stop Eggman now, it won't matter what happens to Tails. Besides, for all we know, it could have already been too late. The Master Emerald's prophesy did say…"

"Forget you and your stupid prophesy! I'm not moving from this spot until I'm sure Tails is going to be OK!" Amy rudely interrupted the well intending echidna.

"But what if he's not, Amy?!" Chris shouted out with tears streaming down his eyes. "What if Tails dies, just like Shadow?" The boy broke down in tears completely at this possibility as Amy instantly regretted her outburst and went to comfort him. Everyone simply stood or sat in silence for another minute as Tails' body still showed no signs of life beyond the smallest rise and fall of his chest, which was so slight that most of the surrounding spectators thought that they only imagined it.

"Come on, little bro," Sonic encouraged the unresponsive kit, "Don't give up on me now! Please, I need you!" He grabbed Tails' hand in his own and squeezed it to try and wake the fox from his deadly slumber. Sonic almost jumped to his feet in joy as he felt the young kit tighten his grip around his hand in response. "He's alive! Look everyone, he's alive!" Sonic yelled like a complete maniac as he pointed to his hand that Tails now held.

"That could just be a reflex, Sonic," Chuck tried to calm down the over-excited hedgehog before he noticed something moving slightly on the floor beneath the horizontal fox. "Hang on, could it be?" the elderly scientist said as he lifted Tails' body slightly higher off the floor. Instantly, out sprang the kitsune's dual tails on either side of him as they waved slowly in the tense air. Before the impact of such a discovery could send the assembled crowd into a joyous frenzy, Tails' eyes suddenly popped straight open.

"Son…ic…?" Tails weakly spoke with a voice that was nearly inaudible.

"Tails, buddy! You're OK! I knew you would never leave me!" Sonic cried as he once again hugged his revived little brother. Everyone else in the room started to shout or at least find some way to express their feelings of joy as the two embraced.

"Oooff! Sonic! I can't… breathe…!" Tails struggled to free himself from the hedgehog's constricting hold.

Sonic instantly let go of the fox as he apologized, "Whoops, sorry bud! Guess I just got a little excited." The blue hedgehog grinned widely as everyone laughed at his comical expression.

Tails looked around at the group of familiar faces surrounding him. "Wow, I guess a whole lot of people must really like me," he observed.

"Well, don't look at me, cutie. I just came to stop Eggman," Rouge was quick to make her motives clear.

"Yeah, Tails, and don't thank Knuckles either. He was the one who was trying to convince Sonic to let you die," Amy addressed the reanimated kitsune.

"Hey! I only did it because the Master Emerald told me to!" Knuckles defended himself.

Tails glanced at Sonic with a look of supreme confusion plastered across his face at the strange conversation.

"I thought you were still awake for that, little bro," Sonic explained. "Knuckles here says he had a vision that told him that the one who was born to die must fulfill his destiny, or else the whole world will share his fate. He thought that it meant that you had to die in order for the world to be safe from Eggman's Eclipse Cannon."

"Which it isn't right now!" Knuckles broke in with the urgent reminder.

"Sonic, what should we do?" Tails asked as he instantly began thinking about the greater good rather than himself.

"Don't worry, bro!" Sonic smiled as he flashed a classic thumbs up towards his almost fully recovered sidekick, "I'll go trash that Eclipse Cannon while you and everyone else take the X-Tornado outta' here!"

"And just how do you propose to find the Eclipse Cannon in the first place?" Rouge quizzed the hedgehog that had volunteered to complete a task in minutes that she and Knuckles hadn't been able to accomplish in a whole day.

"I'll just run around the outside of this space rock until I find the Eclipse Cannon and destroy it," Sonic gave the simple, and effective, method he was so fond of using in dire situations.

"Then I'm going with you!" Knuckles volunteered as Sonic stood up to leave.

"No way, Knucklehead. Eggman's going to have every one of his security robots blocking the way back to the hangar. They'll need your help to smash through them all," Sonic softly argued in a voice that no one else might overhear as he motioned towards the others still gathered around Tails while the fox once again stood on his own two feet.

"Not gonna happen, Sonic!" Knuckles stubbornly refused, "Saving the planet is more important than helping those guys escape."

"You've got a point there, Knuckles, but I need you to keep my little bro safe for me," Sonic quietly admitted his weakness to a shocked Knuckles. "I've almost lost him twice today, and I don't think I could stand it once more. I have to trust you to keep him safe, just as you have to trust me that I'll take down that Eclipse Cannon in time."

The red echidna was stunned at Sonic's sudden showing of emotion to him. Of all the people in the universe, the last person to bear his soul to the echidna would have been Sonic, yet here he was, faced with a request from the hedgehog's very heart. "OK, I'll do it. Just make sure to take down Eggman for me, got it?"

"Sure thing, Knuckles," Sonic agreed as he dashed out of the room towards the nearest airlock to the Egg Moon's surface.

"OK, everyone, let's get moving!" Knuckles shouted as he rejoined the group near the destroyed doorway leading into the maze of hallways that spanned the entire expanse of the Egg Moon.

"Sure, but how do we know which way, muscle-brain?" Rouge brought up the valid point.

"Hey, Amy, what's that thing in your pocket?" Tails wondered out loud as everyone tried to think of a solution.

"Huh? Oh, this thing?" Amy said as she held up the semi-transparent circle of glass that Eggman had given her earlier.

"What is that, Amy?" Chris asked as he looked at the strange object.

"I think Eggman said it was a map of some kind," Amy told the inquisitive members of the group.

"Really?! Then let me see it!" Tails requested. He took the clear disk from the pink hedgehog's outstretched hand and proceeded to study it closely. He tapped on the edge of the curious map a few times by accident, and the schematic on the current floor of the Egg Moon advanced towards his finger's position. "Wow! This is a nano-glass kiosk with the complete layout of the Egg Moon on it!" the excited fox spoke in amazement.

"A nano-what?!" Knuckles tried to understand what Tails had just told them.

"Never mind, Knuckles," Tails apologized for speaking geek like he was prone to do. "What's important is that, using this, we can find our way back to the X-Tornado easy!"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Chuck called out as he stood in the hallway outside the observatory room. The rest of the group of assorted animals and one human boy quickly followed the elderly scientist as Tails looked up the fastest route to the main hanger bay on the transparent map in his hands.

* * *

"They have split up now, Doctor," Bocoe informed his master from a computer console across the room in his secret lab.

"Yes, one of them is heading to the surface of the Egg Moon while the rest are moving towards the main hanger bay," Decoe confirmed and elaborated on his partner's report.

"Hmmm… The one on the surface would have to be that annoying hedgehog," Eggman talked through the complex situation. "Ha, he must think that the Eclipse Cannon will be easier to find and destroy from the outside! Lucky for me, I already thought of such a possibility and have a special surprise in store for that blue pest!"

"Doctor Eggman, you don't mean…!" Bocoe's voice again came from across the room.

"Yes, I do, you dumb-bots. Activate the secret weapon!" Eggman instructed his assistants.

The two assistants pretended to swallow a lump in their throats as both of them hit a single button on the control panel in front of them simultaneously. "Egg-sterminator Mark II deployed," Decoe audibly read the screen in front of him.

"Good! Now, is my Emerald Gigavolt Generator up and running yet?" the smiling Doctor requested.

"E.G.G. is fully functional and is at peak power with all seven emeralds in place," Bokkun responded from the brightly glowing machine Eggman had been working on the other day. "With this machine, we could power the Eclipse Cannon, Egg-sterminator Mark II, and cause chaos control at the same time using only these seven emeralds!"

"Sometimes I even amaze myself at my superior genius!" Eggman gloated as he reveled in his egotistical invincibility. "Sonic couldn't even defeat my first Egg-sterminator without the help of the emeralds last time, which means he doesn't stand a chance against my newest version! It's even more powerful than before, and it still has the power of all seven emeralds as well! Whoo ho ho ho ho!"

"What about the other intruders, Doctor?" Bocoe quickly asked his master.

"I suppose I could let them go," Eggman mused to himself. "It's not like they can do anything without the chaos emeralds anyway. Heh, the X-Tornado probably can't even fly without them!"

"So, what if they try to take the emeralds back?" Bokkun mentioned as he hovered near the thinking Dr. Robotnik.

"Ha, impossible! They couldn't possibly find me here unless…" the overweight doctor's sentence cut short as his eyes narrowed in shock.

"Unless what?" Bokkun pressed the question as Eggman made a fist with both hands and pounded the controls of his chair in front of him.

"Arrrrggghhhh!! That annoying pink hedgehog! She still has that map I gave her earlier!" Eggman shouted as he mentally berated himself for being so careless. "If they figure out how to use that thing, they might come straight here to my secret lab instead of trying to escape in their plane! Send all available sentries to intercept those brats, and make sure that none of them escape!"

"Aye, aye, Doctor!" both robotic assistants acknowledged from their stations.

"Now, someone get me the President!" Eggman commanded as he turned on his two-way video communicator. "I am about to tell him that his little vermin infestation has been dealt with and that he has one hour to surrender the entire world to my Eggman Empire, or else there won't be a world to surrender! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho ho…!"

* * *

"Knuckles, look out!" Chris shouted into the wide hallway.

The red echidna instinctively dodged at the warning and barely missed being turned into Swiss cheese by a burst of machine gun fire. Immediately, he closed the distance with his attacker and tore through the robot with a single punch. Next to him, another explosion was seen as Rouge spiraled through the core of the robot's partner. Finally, two more hunks of metal that once resembled enemies flew down the hallway over the echidna's head.

"Nice swing, Amy!" Chuck spectated as he stood back from the fray with Chris and Tails.

"What do ya' expect from a woman of my talent?" Amy pridefully remarked.

"Cool it, gal, before you hurt someone with that ego," Rouge was quick to rain on Amy's parade. The pink hedgehog began to raise her Piko Piko Hammer again to punish the bat for her saucy reply, before a voice cut her off.

"Hurry, guys! There will be more coming soon! This way!" Tails said as he consulted the see-through map Amy had tricked Eggman into giving her. He led the group at a full run down a new path at the junction of two hallways.

"You're not doing half bad for someone who's supposed to be dead!" Knuckles observed as he noticed that Tails was running and keeping up with the rest of them on his own power.

"Well, because we have Chris and Chuck with us, we aren't going as fast as Sonic and I usually run, so it's not too bad," Tails explained to the unusually concerned echidna. The fox was actually lying by a much greater degree than even he knew at the time. Although Tails was indeed infinitely healthier than an hour before, his body was still extremely weak from not only his recent disease but also the weeks of little or no exercise while he had been almost constantly bedridden. The yellow fox refused to show his actual pain as he instead focused only on the map in his hands. _If you don't think about the pain, then it isn't really there,_ Tails mentally quoted an excuse Sonic had once given when asked about how he could always take such a beating and still manage to fight on.

"Hey, foxy!" Rouge's voice suddenly addressed the preoccupied kit. "Does that map show where Eggman might have taken the emeralds?"

"Probably, but why?" Tails responded as he tapped the glass disk to find the schematics for other floors.

"You just want to get those emeralds back from Eggman, so you can have them yourself!" Knuckles saw through the bat's scheme at once.

"Gee, Knuckles, and I thought you were a complete idiot!" Rouge taunted the scowling echidna. "Actually, yes, I do want those gems. But I also want to stop Eggman's other little scheme before he can enslave our home planet as well."

"Huh? Eggman has another plan to take over Mobius?" Tails couldn't help but ask as he searched the transparent map for the room directly below the observatory that the emeralds would have likely fallen into.

"That's right! We never told them about the Egg Virus!" Knuckles suddenly realized as the group continued to talk and run.

"But I thought the Egg Virus was a fake!" Chuck shouted while panting from behind the small group of talking Mobians but still well within earshot.

"Not this one," Rouge amended Knuckles' last statement. "Eggy plans to recreate the same virus that Gerald gave to Tails' father and use it to create his own Mobian army back home."

"But how is he supposed to get back to your home planet?" Chris burst in with the easily answered question.

"With all seven chaos emeralds, Eggman could use chaos control to go back and forth from our two realities as he wishes," Tails answered the boy over his shoulder. He was noticeably unsettled by this sudden information. _Would Eggman really do that to so many people knowing what his grandfather did to my dad and the others?! What if that causes a whole bunch of other kids to be born like me? They would have to live their whole lives without any parents and as freaks who are always laughed at and ignored like I did! Except, they would be even worse off than me because they wouldn't have Sonic or everyone else to take them in and care for them!_ "We can't let Eggman do this!" Tails unexpectedly blurted out. "I have to stop him!"

"No way, kiddo," Knuckles unhelpfully disagreed. "I told Sonic that I would get you and everyone else outta' here and that's what I'm going to do!"

"But, Knuckles!" Tails began to argue before a soft, gloved hand patted him playfully on the head between his ears.

"Relax, cutie! Without a sample to work with, Eggy might take years to find the recipe for the real Egg Virus," Rouge spoke softly as she tried to reassure the yellow fox. However, a look of terror crossed the vulpine's face instead as her words had the opposite effect than she had intended.

Tails screeched to a stop in the middle of another generic intersection as everyone else followed suit. "Why are we stopping, Tails?" Chris quickly asked the strangely behaving fox.

"You guys have to hurry," Tails spoke without even turning to face the group behind him, "Keep going straight until the next intersection, then turn left and follow the hallway straight to the X-Tornado."

"Aren't you coming, too?" Amy wondered aloud as her face sported a puzzled expression.

"No, I have to go back," Tails uncharacteristically volunteered to face danger on his own. Before anyone could try to talk him out of it, the small fox quickly sprinted down a perpendicular hallway away from the group.

"Tails, come back!" Chuck shouted at the retreating figure of the yellow fox cub as he dashed away with his tails spinning like propeller blades behind him to give him maximum speed.

"Get back here!" Knuckles also shouted as he began to give chase to the runaway kitsune. Unfortunately, at that instant another squad of Eggman's bipedal mechs came crashing through the walls of the hallway between him and the already out of sight fox.

"We're surrounded!" Amy announced as more mechs appeared in all the other hallways surrounding their current intersection.

"What did you say to him?!" Knuckles angrily yelled at Rouge as the robotic sentries slowly advanced from all directions.

"Nothing, I swear!" the extremely confused bat defended herself as she wondered what had caused Tails to go vigilante.

"Aarrgghhh!! Sonic is going to kill me!!" Knuckles shouted as he covered his head in his hands.

"That is, if these robots don't kill us first!" Amy quickly countered as she gripped her Piko Piko Hammer in preparation for another tough bout with Eggman's seemingly endless sentries.


	19. Chapter 17: A Hero's Destiny Part One

Lethal Mutation

Greetings to all you wonderful readers! Guess what? I'm better again! Yep, I feel almost perfectly fine now, so I will have no trouble introducing the ending of my story! But first, I'm afraid some of you have been under the misconception that I have been writing these chapters and posting them daily while I have been sick. I want to remind you that my story was already complete when I posted chapter one, I just keep posting it in increments to annoy you! Anyways, on to the ever-expanding list of repeat reviewers! My thanks for wonderful reviews and lots of get well wishes goes to: Zachary W, brave kid, Rae Logan, danielle, ChibiRyou200, Dareth, tailsfan007, Shika Kev Prower, cari la fenix, peterskywalker, Asher Tye, Koike, and Siran 774! Also, party at my place to celebrate a new reviewer, Toko the Pikmin master! (long video clip of Tails and Cosmo staring into each other's eyes lovingly and both of them blushing) OK, not much of a celebration in that clip, but it is still one of the best scenes I know of! Oh, and that video is also dedicated to Dareth as well for being a new reviewer last chapter. Also, the forum for my story is really hopping now! If you haven't posted yet, you're missing out! (Did that sound convincing enough? I'll try harder next time.)

Enough of the chit-chat though, you guys (and gals) wanted a climactic ending and I'm going to deliver yet again! Will Tails really try to take down Eggman on his own? Can Sonic find and destroy the Eclipse Cannon before Knuckles' prophecy comes true? Will everyone else escape safely in the X-Tornado? This two part chapter answers it all as my story finally arrives at its much anticipated climax! A warning to those who hate suspense, however. Part one of this chapter is by far the most suspenseful of all of the chapters I have posted so far! Get ready for the even better conclusion to this already awesome story as I drive you to insanity with plenty of suspense and lots of action!

Chapter 17: A Hero's Destiny (Part One)

As the others were attempting to flee towards the X-Tornado in the Egg Moon's hangar, a blue streak of light was racing down the endless hallways of the Egg Moon's interior as it sought out a way to get to the lunar space station's exterior surface...

Sonic finally found an access hatch to the outside of the Egg Moon's mechanical half and wasted no time in immediately opening it and climbing out into space. Actually, since the hedgehog never depressurized the small room the hatch was found in, he was almost jettisoned from the Egg Moon entirely by the jet of air escaping into space with him. The quick thinking hedgehog saved himself, however, by grabbing a well placed length of hosing whose use was completely unknown to the panicked blue hero.

"I gotta be more careful," Sonic verbally reminded himself as the short ejecting plume of air ceased and allowed him to regain his footing on the mechanical surface of the Egg Moon. "Tails would never have made a mistake like that. As a matter of fact, I kinda wish he was here with me right now. I could probably use his help with all these machines everywhere."

Sonic took in the dazzling view as he stared down at Earth rotating slowly below him, which was actually above him because of his orientation on the Egg Moon's surface. For the hedgehog that was so fond of scenic views, this should have seemed like heaven, but his mind was elsewhere at his own mention of his adopted brother's name. _Tails… My little bro means so much to me, but was I really about to sacrifice the whole world just to save him? What if I still have?! I know I always used to tell him that I'd give up the whole world for him, but I never thought that I would have to take that literally! What if I don't destroy the Eclipse Cannon in time, and the world does get destroyed like Knuckles said? Would Tails ever forgive me for being so selfish when he was ready to die to save us all?_

The blue hedgehog stood paralyzed, gazing at the marvelous view above him as his eyes wandered the distant stars. To his amazement, the glittering lights from the cosmos seemed to move around in his mind. They pulsated even brighter as Sonic imagined them orienting themselves into a gigantic mosaic of a familiar creature. Before the hedgehog's very eyes, the illusion produced a perfect, sparkling picture of his little brother, Tails. The celestial fox seemed to look right at Sonic as his glimering tails wagged happily, and the new constellation smiled that warm grin that Sonic had only ever seen from his little brother when he was truly perfectly content. With an accidental blink of an eye, the vision disappeared, but Sonic knew what it had meant. "Got cha', buddy," the hedgehog pretended to tell his partner as if he was standing next to him at that moment. "I won't fail. I'll take down that Eclipse Cannon and stop Eggman no matter what… for you."

His new resolve set, Sonic cast aside his emotions once again and peddled his feet as fast as they could go in the reduced gravity environment. He headed straight towards the dark side of rocky half of the Egg Moon. _If Egghead was going to install a giant laser cannon on the moon, he would have to do it where no one could look up in a telescope and see it being built. Plus, he probably would use one of the craters on the moon's surface as a dish for the Eclipse Cannon as well,_ Sonic thought as he scoured the horizon with a critical eye. It only took a matter of a few seconds for the hedgehog to spot a crater large enough to warrant a closer investigation. He ran up the small hill that encircled the giant pothole and was instantly rewarded by the view of a large antenna with lots of electronic gadgets attached all around it. Sonic recognized it instantly from the last view he had of this same device during the battle on Space Colony Ark not too long ago. _No doubt about it, that's the Eclipse Cannon all right! Now to turn it into scrap metal!_

Sonic curled into a ball and started to charge a spin dash that would dissect the lethal weapon and destroy it once and for all, but, as he raced forward at full speed, he connected with something hard much sooner than he had expected and went flying backwards into the crater wall. "What the…?!" a dazed Sonic spoke up as he turned again to face his surprise attacker. Standing there in front of him, in what looked like a worst nightmare come to life again to haunt him, was the fully rebuilt and reprogrammed Egg-sterminator.

"No way! I destroyed this thing last time, when chaos control happened! It can't be!" Sonic shouted out of a mixture of surprise and dread. The blue hedgehog knew very well how powerful this monstrous Transformer on steroids could be with the power of the chaos emeralds behind it. Last time he faced this giant robotic creation, it had pounded the blue hero within an inch of his life without him so much as leaving a scratch on it in return. Sonic had been forced to go super just to destroy the thing back then, but, now that Eggman had all seven emeralds, Sonic knew that he would have to find another way to bring the titanic robot down before he could have a shot at the Eclipse Cannon itself.

"Give it up, Sonic!" Eggman's voice came from a loudspeaker in the giant robot's chest. "You know you can't beat my ultimate creation, the only robot that ever managed to defeat you before, the improved Egg-sterminator Mark II!"

"You may be right, Eggman," Sonic admitted to his overmatched opponent, "But I won't let you destroy the world with that Eclipse Cannon!"

"Then, you'll just have to go through him first!" Eggman referred to the way the original Egg-sterminator had exhibited a mind of its own during its battle with Sonic. Clearly, the evil Doctor had reprogrammed this version to do the same. "Punish that foolish hedgehog, Egg-sterminator!" the Doctor commanded as the speaker cut out.

"As you wish, Doctor Robotnik," the generic mechanical voice monotonously acknowledged. Suddenly, the gigantic machine vanished into thin air as it teleported to a new location in the fraction of a second. Before Sonic could even relocate the warping robot, a metal foot the size of a small house collided with the hedgehog's body at a speed he thought only he could achieve. Sonic's battered body flew clear across the rocky crater and made a new crater in his shape in the opposite wall.

"What's this, no handshake?" Sonic joked as he grunted against the pain in his right leg as he stood up again to face the menacing robot.

"Primary target, Sonic the hedgehog. Directive, eliminate all threats to Eclipse Cannon and Egg Moon. (Beep) Execute," the almost invincible mech recited as it simply faced down the already injured hedgehog. Its purely mechanical voice betrayed no capacity for moderation or mercy on its foes.

"You had your shot, buddy. Now it's my turn!" Sonic almost enthusiastically shouted up to the giant robot's mechanical head. The blue hedgehog reached into a pouch of skin beneath his short fur and removed his emergency backup kit, a single gold ring. _Tails isn't the only one who decided to come on this trip extra prepared!_Sonic thanked himself for stashing the ring away in case of trouble. He used the ring's power to supercharge his spin dash and took aim straight at the rebuilt Egg-sterminator's core. His speed caught the monstrous robot off guard as it failed to block the incoming blue rotary saw. Unfortunately, the armor plating covering every inch of the indestructible machine was too thick for even a ring-powered spin dash to overcome, and Sonic only succeeded in knocking the towering robot to the dusty ground. The ring's power now exhausted, Sonic landed on the crater's lip a good distance away to view his handiwork. He was appalled to see the Egg-sterminator Mark II simply stand back up, with the only sign of damage being a small dent in its central chest plate.

"Structural integrity, unchanged. Target's threat level, minimal," the robotic voice seemed to taunt the already worn out hedgehog. "Increasing power input to maximum," the single-toned electronic voice again spoke before the entire structure of the mammoth machine began to glow with an aura of gold exactly like that which surrounded Sonic when he was in super mode.

"Not good," Sonic realized as he gave up all hopes of damaging the robot now being fuelled by all seven emeralds. "I can't possibly beat this thing now! Think, Sonic, think!" the hedgehog said to himself as he banged a fist on his forehead in frustration.

"Self-injury will not improve your chances for survival," the annoying voice once again insulted the outclassed hedgehog.

The blue hedgehog was not amused by the robot's taunts. Sonic knew that any second now the titanic mech would attack and finish him off unless he thought of a way to stall. "Well, if you want to beat me, then you got to catch me first!" the hedgehog challenged his foe as his feet propelled him down the crater's edge again. He knew that the super-powered Egg-sterminator Mark II would have little trouble doing just that, but the clever hedgehog had just hatched a new plan. Now he ran at his absolute top speed towards the antenna in the center of the crater. He knew that if he could reach the Eclipse Cannon's main structure, his robotic assailant would be forced to withdraw or risk destroying its own objective. At his speed, it would only take a fraction of a second to reach the doomsday laser's antenna and safety, but that was more time than the frightened hedgehog had.

* * *

He waited until he heard the heavy footfalls of the mechanical sentries fade down the hallway before he opened the grating once more and hovered gently to the tiled floor below. _That's the third time Eggman's robots have searched the exact hallway I've been in. He must be tracking my life signs somehow. I need to find a way to shut down the Egg Moon's internal sensors or else me or my friends are going to get caught for sure!_ Tails wasted no time in continuing his headlong dash down the now unoccupied hallway. He screeched to a halt at an intersection which had a computer console in the corner.

_Perfect!_ the kit thought as he quickly began typing on the hide-away keyboard that shot out as he approached the computer station. As if Tails' skills with a wrench weren't impressive enough, his skills at computer hacking were almost unrivaled. Within minutes, the small fox had sent the internal security sensors into disarray with several continuously looping commands that had the system doing everything besides the anti-intruder scans it was programmed to do. _That should do it,_ Tails thought as the keyboard retracted and he resumed his trek down the Egg Moon's confusing maze of corridors. _If Eggman even sees anything on his scanners at all now, he will probably think that half of Mobius just suddenly teleported here. I still need to hurry though!_

The yellow kitsune quickly double checked the transparent disk that held the map to the Egg Moon's entire interior. He quickly located the room at the center of the spherical Egg Moon that would be the most probable location for the chaos emeralds to be held, and, consequentially, the exact location where Eggman probably had his secret lab/control room. As he took a sharp turn at another intersection to reach that spot, Tails found himself becoming overrun with emotions that he couldn't quite comprehend. _How could Eggman even think about doing something so wrong as to infect other people with his grandfather's virus?! He knows exactly what it did to me, how much I suffered, how much I lost, not to mention the consequences it had on my father! Surely even he couldn't be that evil!_

However, even as his mind tried to give the vile Doctor the shadow of a doubt that fairness deserved, Tails found himself completely convinced that Eggman would indeed carry out this dastardly plot. For the first time in his life, Tails suddenly noticed that he was unable to find any reasoning, any excuse that could justify, or at least lessen the severity of, Eggman's genocide in progress. _So this is the true feeling of revenge,_ the kit thought as his hands balled into tight fists. _No remorse, no mercy, just pure hatred and justice. It feels powerful, like it's making me totally unstoppable! _

Tails felt his mind becoming enveloped in a never before felt high of strength and determination as he realized what he wanted to do most of all. _I'm going to do it; I'm going to kill Eggman! I don't care what Sonic or the others think; he has gone too far this time! He's too dangerous to __allow him to live, so I will end all these years of his attempts to hurt Sonic and me and everyone else, today!!_

His comforting rage drove the fox onwards as he ignored everything except how good it felt. For the only time in his life, Tails threw aside the long standing controls over his emotions as he let all the anger of his entire, indescribably hard existence course throughout his mind unrestrained. _Why have I worked so hard to keep my anger in control before now?! I have been so busy trying to keep it down my whole life that I never realized that it's where my true strength lies! It gives me more power than I could have ever had as the wimpy old me! If this is wrong, I don't want to be right anymore! No wonder Knuckles likes feeling angry all the time! I'm invincible! I'm… I'm… I…_ the fox's thoughts trailed off as his true self once again broke through the raging darkness of his mind.

_No, I can't believe I'm doing this!_ Tails harshly reprimanded himself for his poor mental control a second ago. _I know that my father would never want me to avenge his death by murdering someone else! Besides, Sonic told me that revenge is never the answer. Revenge only makes you worse than the person who hurt you in the first place. It may feel right, but I know that it's wrong! No matter what Eggman does, I can't allow myself to sink to his level just so I can get even! It's that kind of thinking that made Gerald Robotnik almost destroy the world using Space Colony Ark! At first, he only meant to make things that would be good and helpful for everyone like I do, but he let hatred take him over because someone hurt him, just like Eggman wants to hurt me by using my disease to infect everyone else. Well, I won't let myself turn into a monster like him or Eggman! I will make Sonic and my parents proud of me by stopping Eggman the right way!_ With that, the fox found himself at the final junction to the room the chaos emeralds were in. _All I've gotta do is steal those emeralds back so that Eggman can't infect anyone else on Mobius with that virus, _the once again cool-headed fox reminded himself. However, as he stuck his head around the corner slowly to make sure the coast was clear, the young fox felt his heart sink into his stomach once more.

"Oh, great," Tails uttered as he realized that in order to save Mobius, he would have to do the one thing that he never excelled at, physical combat.

* * *

"Wonder why those robots haven't attacked us again?" Knuckles pointed out to the rest of the group as all three Mobians and two humans continued their sprint for the X-Tornado in the nearby hangar.

"Tails must have shut down Eggman's security system somehow," Chuck answered in blind faith towards his remarkable partner.

"But did he really have to run off like that?" Amy again pondered the mysterious actions of the recently recovered fox.

"I think he went off to stop Eggman from using his grandfather's virus on other Mobians like Eggy planned to do," Rouge repeated the earlier conversation she had had with the now AWOL fox. "But I told the kid that there's nothing to worry about. Eggy would have to get a sample of the virus first in order to duplicate it properly."

"Wait, you told him what?!" Chuck shouted at the surprised bat as he suddenly realized why Tails had gone off on his own so abruptly. He quickly stopped short as everyone else also skidded to a halt and stared at him in confusion.

"What's the matter, grandpa?" Chris asked the elderly scientist to explain his outburst and shocked facial expression.

"The blood sample from Tails that I gave to Eggman, Chris; do you remember it?" Chuck revealed the grievous mistake in a question format.

"Hold on, you gave Eggy a sample of Tails' DNA?!" Rouge spoke up, star struck at the sudden revelation.

"What's the big deal with that?" the clueless red echidna asked in response to the horrified faces all around him. "Tails doesn't actually have the virus, right? So, Eggman couldn't possibly get it from that sample."

"Tails may not really have the virus, muscle-brain," Rouge sharply ridiculed the uneducated Knuckles, "But Tails' mutations were caused by the virus's DNA inside his DNA!"

"So that means that the sample of Tails' blood that we gave to Eggman…" Amy started to summarize the catastrophic situation.

"Contains the sample of the virus that Eggman needs to infect everyone in Mobius!" Chris finished the shocking revelation.

"No wonder Tails ran off to stop Eggman on his own," Chuck finally understood the fox's actions a minute ago. "It is hisDNA that Eggman is going to use to make the new Egg Virus! He feels responsible for all those people that might die because of his disease!"

"We gotta go help him!" Knuckles shouted as he started to do an about face to plunge back into the maze of hallways.

"No, Knuckles," Chuck unexpectedly forbid the echidna from assisting his foolhardy partner and close friend. "Tails has the map, remember? If we try to find him again, we'll just get lost and might never find our way back to the X-Tornado. It's best if we just do what Tails said, get to the X-Tornado and escape."

"Grandpa! You can't really mean we should leave Tails to face Eggman all alone!" Chris objected to the abandonment of a fellow teammate.

"We have to, Chris," Chuck informed his worried grandson. "Don't worry, Tails is a really smart kid, and his big brother is Sonic; that's got to count for something. He can probably stop Eggman easily on his own. As a matter of fact, I know he can."

"But, he's still weak from the neurotoxins!" Amy worriedly added her concern for the fox's safety.

"He kept up with us pretty well until we split up," Chuck pointed out. "He'll be fine. Worrying about it won't help," the oldest person in the group gave out the sage advice.

"Well, I'm all for getting off this junk heap before more of Eggy's robots show up!" Rouge broke up the group of standing around worry-warts.

"Grrrrr… OK, let's go," Knuckles growled before admitting defeat to the unshakeable logical argument Chuck had made. The group entered a doorway at the end of the hall and walked into the expansive hangar bay that still held the burglarized X-Tornado. Chuck, Chris, and Amy quickly began climbing into their original seats from the trip up to the Egg Moon earlier while Knuckles and Rouge stood next to the aircraft, unsure of where to climb in.

"Drat," Chuck swore from the forward cockpit as he needlessly confirmed the hijacking of the two emeralds that had powered the X-Tornado up through the atmosphere the first time.

"Can this thing even fly without the emeralds to power it?" Knuckles shouted his question up to the disappointed scientist.

"Yes and no, Knuckles," Chuck responded. "The X-Tornado's maneuvering thrusters don't depend on the chaos emeralds to fire, so I should be able to use them to get us back to Earth safely, but…"

"But what, gramps?" Rouge impatiently told the stalling scientist to spit it out.

"We will only have enough fuel to set a course for Earth," Chuck made sure everyone understood. "We can't wait for Tails or Sonic once we take off."

"Then we'll just wait for them right here!" Amy attempted to resolve the dilemma.

"Do you really want to fight off a whole space station worth of robots, gal?" Rouge reminded the pink hedgehog of the reason they had to leave immediately. "Eggy could send his entire army here at any moment and kill us all. Personally, I say those two boys will just have to fend for themselves."

"How can you say that?!" Chris angrily yelled at the insensitive bat.

"Now, Chris," Chuck quieted the boy down from his sudden frenzy. "Rouge is right. We all need to leave immediately, before Eggman tries to stop us."

"Too late!!" Amy suddenly shouted from her seat as she pointed towards the doors to the hangar bay that lead to the outer space beyond. An impermeable wall of energy was keeping the air inside the huge room from escaping while the gigantic metal bulkheads that sealed off the docking bay when not in use had been fully opened. Now, however, the solid, interlocking metal doors were closing rapidly, attempting to trap the X-Tornado inside the hangar bay permanently.

"Hurry!" Chuck shouted to the still loitering Rouge and Knuckles, "Get in behind me before we're closed in!"

"Hold on! Me?! Sit with that batty freak?!" Knuckles objected as he and Rouge semi-obediently leaped onto the X-Tornado's left wing.

"Unless you want to see how many robots it takes to destroy a big, red idiot, I don't think you have a choice, Knuckie!" Rouge half-taunted, half-commanded the immobile Knuckles. "Believe me, you're not my first choice for sharing a cramped space either!"

"Will you two hurry up and get in?!" Chuck tried to speed up the bickering twosome that was about to cost them their only chance to escape. "If you stand on that wing, I can't fire the maneuvering thrusters correctly!"

"No way! I'll move to the back of the plane where Sonic stands! Rouge can have my seat!" Knuckles defiantly stated to an exasperated Chuck and other passengers.

"But, Knuckles!" Chris tried to reason with the echidna, "When we enter the atmosphere, you will burn up out there!"

"Humph! I don't care!" Knuckles shouted back as he crossed his arms defiantly.

"Sit down, or I'll make sure that even the insides of you are red, too!" Amy threatened the stubborn echidna.

"Aaaahh! OK, OK! Fine!" Knuckles wisely responded as he saw the pink hedgehog reach for her hammer behind her seat. The red echidna jumped into the seat behind Chuck in the forward cockpit as Rouge gently floated her way down into his lap and landed in his arms. The sudden shock of such a maneuver by the flaunting bat caused Knuckles to be extremely startled as he quickly resituated himself to be as far as possible from the nocturnal vixen and thanked his lucky stars that his red colored face hid his slight blushing.

"Well, I'm glad everyone is finally situated," Chuck spoke from the front-most seat in a voice that showed annoyance rather than its earlier urgency, "because our only chance to leave just got sealed shut behind those doors!" Sure enough, the huge bay doors closed that second with a loud clang as the red echidna's delay caused them to miss their chance to get out in time.

"Nice going, Mr. Sensitive," Rouge blamed the uncomfortable echidna she now almost sat on.

"How do we get out of here now?" Chris asked over the intercom to Chuck's earpiece, which also was connected to an interior loudspeaker so the rest of the cabin's occupants could hear as well.

"Let's just blast our way out!" Knuckles recommended in a desperate rush to return to Earth as soon as possible and get away from the bat that was far too close for comfort.

"Those doors are too strong for the guns or our missiles to penetrate," Chuck dejectedly stated as his mind ran through all the available possibilities. "Of course!" he suddenly broke in as he had a new idea. "Chris, transfer all power from the power ring storage tank into the forward-mounted laser cannon!"

"I get it," Chris responded as he started the unusual procedure. "You think that we can get enough power from all those rings Tails stores in there to power the laser!"

"Right, Chris!" Chuck congratulated his quick learning grandson. He checked the power meter for the laser as the energy from the rings that were normally stored to fire off at Sonic when he needed them now gave him just enough power for one blast. "Hold on, everyone!" Chuck warned his passengers as he took dead aim at the center of the two immense, closed shutters and fired.

A bright, yellow beam of light approximately the same size as the X-Tornado burst forth from the nose cone of the craft as it effortlessly melted a hole in the solid hanger doors just large enough to permit the X-Tornado to fly through. Unfortunately, with the seal keeping the vacuum of space in check gone, a powerful suction began pulling the X-Tornado and everything else in the hangar bay towards the gaping hole. Chuck barely managed to get enough control over the spiraling plane in time to avoid hitting the new opening broadside and snapping the aircraft in two as the X-Tornado finally ejected into space along with a good deal of debris from inside the Egg Moon as well.

"We made it!" Amy gleefully shouted as Chuck oriented the spaceship/aircraft towards Earth. Just as he fired the thrusters to propel them home, a loud thud was heard on the back of the X-Tornado, behind the rear cockpit. "What was that?" Amy said as she looked around through the rear canopy. She saw a gloved hand grab hold of the canopy's exterior hatch as it quickly opened and closed to admit a heavily beaten up blue hedgehog into Amy's unsuspecting lap. "Sonic?!" the worried girlfriend to this mass of contusions and cuts called out in horror. "Sonic, what happened to you?!"


	20. Chapter 17: A Hero's Destiny Part Two

Lethal Mutation

Hi again to all you readers! Well, this is a sad to finally get to the climax of my story, but I know you will enjoy it as much as I did writting it. A special thank you to all my awesome reviewers: Zachary W, danielle, cari, Koike, Asher Tye, Shika Kev Prower, Tailsfan007, brave kid, Toko the Pikmin master, Rae Logan, Nicend, peterskywalker, Dareth, and ChibiRyou200! Also, new reviewer celebration for Kitsune-SuperFox! (video clip offfz/jdiova...) Oooops! I guess my video clip machine must have broken from me using it so often in this story! Oh well, this chapter should be a good enough substitute for any old movie. Now, that my story has come all the way through its plotline, I am hoping that a lot of you will still keep in touch via my forum so my story can still be remembered by all of you who loved it so much. (I am actually expecting a few flames for the way this story ends because I know it will make a lot of you angry, but I wrote the story the way I wanted it, so, sorry!)

Well, here it is. My story's inevitable, yet dramatic, conclusion. The climax of all my efforts and the apex of this entire fanfic! What happened to Sonic, and did he stop the Eclipse Cannon? But most importantly, what happens to Tails?! Will the prophecy come true and both worlds be destroyed, or worse, enslaved by Eggman? For all of you that couldn't stand the wait, your wait is over. Here it is at last, the grand finale of my first ever fanfic! (Sniff... I told myself that I wouldn't cry...)

Chapter 17: A Hero's Destiny (Part Two)

While the others were still making their way to the X-Tornado and Sonic was fighting the Eggsterminator Mark II, a lone fox stood in a hallway of the Egg Moon with his objective in sight...

_To come this far, and be stopped by just a few enemy robots, _Tails thought as he counted the number of mechanical sentries guarding the door to Eggman's secret lab. _I should have known that after I shut down his security system, Eggman would have put these robots here to guard his control room, just in case. Now what am I gonna do?_

Tails was outnumbered three to one against a small group of bipedal mechs that served to police the hallway around the target door. Not only were those long odds, but the robotic sentries had the upper hand in weaponry as well against the unarmed kit. _This would be no problem for Sonic,_ the dejected Tails mused. _He could just spin dash through all of them in an instant. I can't do that, or can I?_

Tails reached for a small pocket of skin under his white-furred chest and pulled out a very dusty, old, golden ring that barely still glowed with its ancient, unused power. _Wow, I guess I haven't ever needed this thing in a while,_ the fox observed as he wondered if the decrepit ring would even work. _Sonic gave this to me when we first met and told me to always keep it with me in case I ran into trouble. But, how do I use it?_

The yellow fox held the ring in both hands as he tried to remember the lessons Sonic had given him so long ago on how to do a spin dash. He curled into a tight ball on the floor and stuck his two tails out the back like streamers as he started to do somersaults in place. He kept slipping, however, or accidentally stopping as he just couldn't seem to work up enough speed.

_This is useless! Unless I can use this ring to charge up my spin dash, I'll just be a rolling ball of fur!_ Tails realized as he wondered how Sonic even managed to do a spin dash without the help of a ring. _I suppose his sharp quills do help,_ the sad fox acknowledged as he all but gave up on defeating the robots on his own. Then, his determination again caught up with him as he once more realized how important it was that he get into that room. _All those people need me! Even if they don't like me or call me a freak, they are people too, and I'm the only one who can save them!_

At the sudden rebirth of his determination, the ring in his hands began glowing brighter as the fox started to spin in place rapidly. _Whoa! What's going on! I'm spinning, but I can't control it!_ After the short rev up, Tails found his automatically rotating body zipping through the air and down the hallway towards the stationed sentry-bots. "Aaaaaahhh!" Tails screamed as some kind of autopilot steered him towards all three of the mechs' central cores. He had expected colliding with solid metal at this speed would hurt greatly, but Tails found that after he reopened his eyes seconds later, he had already penetrated all of the robotic guards without even noticing it. That's when the ring's power unexpectedly cut out and the yellow pinball with two tails came to halt by ricocheting off of several walls uncontrollably until Tails collapsed uncurled on the hard floor in the middle of the hall.

"Ooooohhh," Tails moaned as he clutched his head with one hand and his stomach with another. He still had no clue how he had accomplished the spin dash in the first place as he saw the hollowed out remains of the robot guards he had just demolished. "Wow, I guess I just need to work on my stopping next time," Tails mentioned to himself as he felt a large bump forming on his forehead from his wild bouncing after the ring's power had stopped guiding him. After the fox got his still spinning head to calm down, he wasted no time in approaching the large door into Eggman's secret lab. To his surprise, the high-security door opened immediately to admit him once he stood in front of the doorway.

Tails cautiously stepped through the very cooperative door and into the darkened room beyond. Although all the lights were out, the room still seemed brightly lit by a machine in the center of the room which emitted flashes of light of seven different colors in all directions. It reminded Tails of the lights in his dreams during his recent seizures as his curiosity overweighed his caution and drew the fox closer to the strange machine.

"Do you like it, Tails?" Eggman's voice rang out from behind the fox as Tails jumped and turned around quickly. "That's my Emerald Gigavolt Generator, or E.G.G. as I so fondly call it. It takes the power of all seven chaos emeralds and amplifies it until I have unlimited power for all my creations!"

"I don't care about how much power this thing gives you, Eggman," Tails defiantly talked back to the Doctor, "It doesn't give you the right to use my father's disease on anyone!"

"Oh, that's right. I meant to thank you for that Tails! Why, without your DNA sample, I would never have been able to recreate my grandfather's, or should I now say, your virus! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Eggman taunted the small fox that he still thought to be no threat to him or his evil scheme. "Feast your eyes on this, kid!" the pompous Doctor Robotnik yelled before hitting a button on his floating chair's control panel.

The lights in the room gradually brightened as Tails almost fainted at the sight before him. On the back wall of the secret lab was box after box marked as biohazardous material that no doubt were full of injections of the mutagenic virus, all ready for shipping and use on his home planet. "No…" Tails softly uttered as he found himself at a loss for words at the stockpile in front of him that would be capable of infecting almost half of Mobius on its own. "I won't let you hurt all those people Eggman! They never did anything to deserve your Egg Virus!"

"Really?" Eggman replied in a tone of almost genuine surprise. "Why, Tails, of all people I would have expected you to be happy with what I'm about to do!" Eggman saw a look of pure surprise cross the fox's face as he realized that he had successfully thrown the yellow kit off guard at his statement. He continued to talk to the fox in a sympathetic tone as a grin slowly wound across his face, "Tell me, Tails. What did they ever do for you because of your mutation? Did they ever care for you, or comfort you when you needed it? Of course not! And you know why, my furry little friend? It's all because those people that you said you would save, the same people who would rather spit at you than give you a cup of cold water, those people are the real freaks. They couldn't even find the slightest bit of pity for you and your horrible life, and all because you simply had a second tail and an unusually gifted mind. Be honest with yourself, Tails, haven't you ever wished for just a moment that you could show them what it was like to grow up like you did: penniless, orphaned, hated and ridiculed by everyone, alone?" Eggman paused before each new word to ensure that each description hit home in the kit's troubled memory.

Tails stared at the floating figure in his levitating chair as his mind was sent reeling again by Eggman's unexpected argument. _He is right about some things,_ Tails sorted out the truth from Eggman's loaded words. _The same people that I am risking my life to save are the ones who wouldn't give a second thought if I died. They are the reason that my life was so bad before I met Sonic! I do sometimes wish I could make them realize how hard it was for me by making them go through exactly what I did, but I would never want them to really suffer like my parents and I had to!_ "No, Eggman," Tails found the courage to stare the deceiving Doctor in the eyes as he responded, "I won't let you destroy anyone else's life like your grandfather did me and my family's."

Eggman raised an eyebrow in surprise at the resolute fox's answer. Revenge was a powerful temptation, and Eggman knew that by experience, but Tails was still unshaken in his resolve despite the argument the evil Doctor had offered that would have surely enticed any other creature in Tails' position. Eggman realized that Tails held on very tightly to his morals and decided to attack them next in an attempt to subvert the very conscience of the pious kit, "And how can you be so sure that I am destroying people's lives by infecting them with the Egg Virus, Tails? Sure, many of them may die from it, but those who survive will be even stronger and smarter than before! Their lives will be improved!"

Eggman could tell that the yellow fox wasn't buying it, so he tried one last personal example that he was sure would throw the young fox, "Just think about yourself, Tails. Why, if my grandfather hadn't infected your father in the first place and made you an orphaned mutant, you wouldn't even be here to stop me now! Do you really think that you would have had met Sonic, become his best buddy, his sidekick, if you were a normal Mobian fox?! You couldn't imagine life without your friends, now, could you?" Eggman hammered the point home before going for the mental coup-de-grace. He could tell that the poor fox was unable to refute his example as he took advantage of the confused Tails. "See?! If my grandfather hadn't infected your father, your life would actually have been worse! This virus didn't destroy your life, it's the only reason that you aren't just an ordinary little fox like everyone else! It improved your life! Now, who are you to deny this possibility from all those other people out there who might need a better life, too?! Do you really know that my Egg Virus won't actually help some people?! By stopping me from spreading this virus across Mobius, you may be doing something even more evil than I would! You might even make the next person that needs to save your world never be born because of your selfishness!" Eggman concluded as he stared down the young fox that had foolishly challenged him to a game the he never lost, reverse psychology.

"NO!! That can't be right…! You must be wrong somehow!" Tails screamed as he felt Eggman's poisoned words ringing throughout his mind. Every fiber of the fox's yellow fur had told him that Eggman's plan to infect Mobius with the Egg Virus had been an inexcusable crime, but now Tails couldn't seem to find why as the evil Doctor's words passed every test the young kit could think of to check for false logic or reasoning. Tails collapsed to the floor clutching tightly to his head as everything he had ever known that was right and wrong was suddenly thrown into doubt by the repercussions of Eggman's valid argument.

"I'm afraid not, my foxy nemesis," Eggman continued to torture the incapacitated kit. "And now that you realize that I am really going to help everyone with my new virus, I shall open the portal to Mobius by using chaos control in my custom interdimensional rift stabilizer!" Eggman pointed across the room again to a large, circular gateway against the wall in his lab's far corner. The upright halo began to glow as E.G.G. focused some of its power into the ring's circumference. The brightly glowing portal than flashed briefly before revealing a landscape of some peaceful, green hill on Mobius to which point it would now serve as a teleport.

Tails watched in amazement and horror as a small group of chao flew by the shimmering window between worlds, totally oblivious to its existence or what was about to come through. _Eggman is really going to do it! Any second now, he will take those crates full of his Egg Virus over into Mobius and start infecting people! If I'm going to do something, I have to do it now! But, what if Eggman is right and this virus actually does help people like it did me?_ Tails simply sat there as he frantically wracked his brain for an answer to his dilemma. If ever a literal moral compass had been created, Tails was the one person in the universe most in need of it at this very moment.

Then, it occurred to him as if the answer had always been there, so obvious that it had been completely overlooked until now. Spurred into action by his reaffirmation, Tails quickly stood up and turned towards the E.G.G. machine that was still right next to him. He took a long glance over the control panel and moved closer to press a series of buttons as Eggman watched him carefully.

"And just what do you think you are doing, you impetuous fox?!" Eggman questioned Tails as he desperately sought to find the solution Tails had so quickly arrived at from his mental games that Eggman was so good at. "If you tamper with the power flow of that machine, it could destroy all of us!"

"I'm going to stop you, Eggman," Tails calmly said as he once again stared at the Doctor, face-to-face. "You may think that because I'm little that I don't understand what you're trying to do here, but I know exactly what's going on! If those people are infected with your Egg Virus, none of them will live a happier life because they will have to rely on you to keep them alive with the antidote. They will be your slaves, and so will their children as well! And I don't care if my father's virus turned out to be a good thing for me! I don't know what my life would have been like if I was born a normal Mobian fox, and I never will! Maybe I would have met Sonic anyways! Maybe I would even have even more friends just like him! But I can't let all those people suffer and die as your slaves, even if they wouldn't do the same for me!" Tails finished his heartfelt monologue.

Now, it was Eggman's turn to be confused. He stared into the kit's eyes as if trying to once again penetrate into the young fox's mind via his large, blue irises. He saw behind the sparkling azure eyeballs visions of pureness, peace, innocence, and strength, not of the physical kind, but rather the strength of conviction that was the reason good always triumphed over evil in the end. In all his life, Eggman had never met someone so selfless, so incredibly pure of heart, that no evil thought or deed could possibly come from that person, until now. The evil Dr. Robotnik found himself unable to speak even a pathetic denial of the fox's last words as he felt something growing deep within himself that not even Sonic could arose in the hardened Doctor after all these years, fear.

"I'm sorry it has to be that way, Tails," Eggman weakly threatened the fierce spirited fox. "Bocoe, Decoe, Bokkun, capture this fox before he can shut down the E.G.G.!" Realizing that, not only was the deceptively weak fox a great threat to his plans, but that he was the only thing that could stop them now, Eggman frantically called on all three of his assistants to join him in subduing Tails. Bocoe and Decoe each grabbed one of Tails' arms and pulled the fox away from the E.G.G.'s control panel as Bokkun also flew into the fray and grabbed both of the kitsune's twin tails to prevent any attempts by Tails to escape into the air. Pinned down by three assailants, Tails felt all his efforts to break free becoming less and less effective until he could barely struggle at all.

"Ha, we got him, Doctor Eggman!" Bokkun celebrated Tails' capture.

Tails felt his anger rise inside him again at being trapped like an animal by three different opponents at once. His rare, but fearful, rage overcame his senses as he resolved to try one last concentrated effort to escape his captors' holds. Without warning, he yanked one of his tails free from Bokkun's grasp and leaned forward into Bocoe and Decoe's arm locks. This allowed his now freed tail and the other one with Bokkun still holding onto it to rotate above him at the perfect height for both appendages, and the screaming black robot, to continuously hammer the gold and silver assistants on their heads. It only took a second for the duo's grip on Tails' arms to loosen as the battered robots fell to the floor from the beating. Then, the fox purposefully flung both of his rotating tails over his shoulder in a quick motion which sent the tiny, black robot that was still holding on to one of them flying across the room and into Eggman's face with pinpoint accuracy from his improvised slingshot routine. The collision of Bokkun and the shocked Eggman knocked the much larger Doctor out of his hover chair as it sank riderless to the floor of the lab.

Capitalizing on the moment of time in which all his foes were unable to do anything to stop him, Tails dashed back up to the E.G.G.'s control panel and finished the sequence of commands that would shut down the machine. Unfortunately, in his rush, Tails only shut down the circuits that fed the machine's unlimited power into the rest of the Egg Moon by mistake. The frantic color show inside the dome of the E.G.G. intensified as the pent up energy started a cascading overload of the machine's circuitry. Without the power of the emeralds anymore, the portal to the grassy knoll in Mobius also disappeared to reveal instead the wall it was placed next to. "Now, I just have to destroy all these boxes of the Egg Virus!" Tails reminded himself as he failed to observe the meltdown in progress in the E.G.G. behind him.

"Be my guest, Tails!" Eggman's voice called from the only door in and out of the secret lab. Tails turned to face the fleeing evil madman as he saw Bocoe, Decoe, and Bokkun all dash out the doorway that the Doctor now stood in. "To think, that a pipsqueak such as you had enough power to foil all of my ingenious plans! I guess I have truly underestimated you for the last time! Go ahead, Tails, do whatever you like to my Egg Virus. Without a portal to Mobius, it is useless to me. But, I do believe that it will all be destroyed in the explosion, along with you! So you see, I'm the real winner after all, Tails! Whoo ho ho ho ho ho!" the cowardly Dr. Robotnik spoke as he ran out the door and sealed it shut behind him.

"Explosion! What does he… Uh oh…" Tails finally realized what he had done and that the incredible forces now cascading out of control in the E.G.G. behind him would soon engulf the Egg Moon in a huge fireball, and he was at ground zero. He tried to use the control panel on the malfunctioning machine to undo his catastrophic mistake, but the buttons didn't even respond as the circuitry of the uncontrolled machine had long since fried from the immense heat and power it now generated. Tails gave up on fixing the E.G.G. in time and dashed to the only exit in an effort to escape to safety, but found that Eggman had permanently sealed the door shut from the other side. _Eggman! He wants revenge on me for ruining his plans, so he locked me in here to die! How come whenever he wants revenge, he can just take it, and I can't! If I would have killed him like I wanted to earlier…_

A loud ominous humming came from the overloading machine in the center of the room that broke the fox out of his raging anger as he focused instead on survival. _Eggman may think that he has won, but I'll show him! I'm not dead yet! But I might be soon if I don't think of something fast! Come on, mom and dad! I could really use some luck right about now! _

Frantically, the frightened fox looked for some kind of shelter that he could hide in to ride out the blast. As he located a suitable candidate, he had just enough time to seal himself safely inside before the loudest sound and hottest burning sensation Tails had ever felt instantly was cut short by his loss of consciousness. The unbearable heat and noise continued as his lifeless body was thrown around mercilessly, banging repeatedly against the red hot walls of his shelter with no way to soften each bone crushing and flesh scalding impact. Despite having chosen the perfect shield from the massive, seven emerald-powered explosion, it would only be a matter of seconds before either he or his shelter was jarred to pieces and destroyed by the immense blast. Perhaps it was lucky for the fox that he would not be awake when that happened.

* * *

Half a second was all the more time he had needed. He had almost made it to the Eclipse Cannon and safety. Almost, but almost doesn't count. Sonic felt his speeding body get slammed by a giant fist as he once again flew across the large crater and impacted the opposite wall. This blow was much harder than the last one, and the blue hedgehog found himself almost unable to stand back up after the impact. As he fought against the weakened gravity to stand once more, he noticed that his glowing opponent was simply standing there, waiting for the beaten hedgehog to make his move again.

"It is pointless to defy my master," the Egg-sterminator II gloated its victory in its horrible, mechanical voice.

"I'm not… done with you… yet… Ugghh!" Sonic verbally resisted as one of his legs gave way under him and he fell to the ground yet again. _Who am I kiddin',_ the blue hedgehog said to himself as he found himself unable to stand back up. _This thing has got me beat, and now Eggman will destroy the entire world because of me!_ Sonic realized that there would be no miracles this time, no back up to rescue him; his time was finally up. All those years of fighting against Eggman no matter what the odds ended here, with the odds finally exacting their retribution on the hedgehog that had dodged them for so long. He made no attempt to move as the giant robot that had beaten him slowly raised its huge metal foot to squash him into the ground like a spent cigar butt. _Tails, buddy, I'm so sorry. Because of me, everyone is doomed. When Eggman fires the Eclipse Cannon, he'll probably kill you, too. At least I get to see you real soon, pal._ Sonic cringed as he awaited the final blow.

It never came. Looking directly above him, Sonic saw that the now no longer luminescent Egg-sterminator II had stopped all movement whatsoever. The titanic robot simply stood with one foot raised over the hedgehog like a colossal monument before it lost its balance and fell back into the crater. The immobile super-robot's upper body came down directly on top of the Eclipse Cannon's main antenna array in a massive explosion that completely destroyed both doomsday machines permanently. Sonic smiled as he realized that only one thing could have explained what had just happened. Someone had just taken the emeralds back from Eggman, cutting off the power source of his otherwise invincible foe. What the hedgehog didn't know however, was just who had done it, and if they even knew that they had saved his life in return.

As the fireball receded into nothingness, Sonic finally managed once again to get to his feet. _Well, I did it. Now I just have to find a way off this rock!_ The extremely weakened hedgehog forced his legs to run as he made for the mechanical half of the Egg Moon once more. _Knuckles, Tails, and the others must have decided to go after Eggman instead of leaving like I told them to. That's the only thing that could explain why the Egg-sterminator II just quit working. I'll just find that hangar bay and wait for them at the X-Tornado while they come back with the emeralds._

His assumptions were proved wrong, however, as a large laser blast tore through part of the Egg Moon in front of him and the X-Tornado emerged into space. _Man, they are faster than I thought!_ Sonic summoned the last of his strength to leap off of the Egg Moon's surface and, thanks to the reduced gravity, float off into space towards the momentarily stationary aircraft. He collided with the X-Tornado's rear engine and pulled himself hand-over-hand towards the rear cockpit. Without even checking to see who occupied the cabin, Sonic opened the canopy and fell into the rearmost seat, his body going totally limp as the cockpit automatically closed again.

"Sonic?!" a familiar voice called out from the occupant of the seat Sonic had fallen into. "Sonic, what happened to you?!" a very worried Amy shouted to the barely still conscious hedgehog as she shook him gently.

"Ooooooohh, my head... Huh?! Amy!" Sonic finally recognized who he was talking to as he suddenly tried to act tough. He had forgotten that Amy usually sat in the back seat of the X-Tornado's rear cockpit, otherwise he would have never fallen into her lap like this. "I'm fine, Ames, honestly!"

Amy, for once overlooking her desire to hug Sonic upon sight, instead gently assisted Sonic into a sitting position on her lap as she got a good look at his totally bruised body. "Don't lie to me, Sonic the hedgehog! If you weren't already covered in blue fur, you would still be the same color right now from all those bruises!" Amy spoke in an aggravated tone that was a complete opposite to the gentle assistance she was giving the blue hedgehog at the same time.

"I ran into an old friend of mine and Egghead's," Sonic answered the pink hedgehog's earlier question as he cringed at the pain even Amy's softest touch caused to him.

"Did you destroy the Eclipse Cannon?" Chris asked from the seat in front of the two hedgehogs.

"Yeah, it's gone for good, now!" Sonic happily announced as he reported his almost non-existent success.

"Great! I'm sure the others will be glad to hear that!" Chris excitedly spoke as he keyed his headset microphone to tell the occupants of the other cockpit as well.

"Hey, Chris," Sonic suddenly interrupted the boy before he could say anything. The now more like a black and blue hedgehog leaned forward to stick his head over Chris's seat despite the great pain involved in the effort. "Could I use your headset to talk to Tails, please? I want to thank him for having you guys go back for the emeralds instead of escaping like I asked."

"You mean Tails got the emeralds after all?!" Chuck's voice was heard coming through the still open com channel.

"Of course he did! I know that he would be the only one who might convince you guys to go…" Sonic's voice suddenly caught in his throat as his mind finally comprehended what his ears had already heard a minute ago. "Wait, hold the phone, guys! Why would you ask me if Tails got the emeralds unless you didn't already know? Who's flying this thing anyways?!" the confused hedgehog demanded.

"I am, Sonic," Chuck once again answered from the other cockpit.

"Then what about Knuckles and Rouge?! Did they stay behind?!" Sonic raised his voice in panic as he began to guess where his questioning was leading him.

"We're right here, Sonic," Knuckles' unhappy voice could be heard through Chuck's headset as the echidna was forced to respond.

"But… then… WHERE'S TAILS?!" Sonic screamed into the microphone as his worst nightmare came back again for the third time today. "I told you to look after him, Knucklehead!! Where is he?!" Sonic still shouted into the tiny device.

"I tried to stop him, Sonic; I swear! He just ran off to stop Doctor Eggman on his own after the kid found out that Eggman had used his blood sample to recreate his father's virus and planned on infecting everyone in Mobius with it!" Knuckles quickly gave his excuse to the absolutely outraged Sonic. The bat sitting on Knuckles' lap even swore she saw a look of relief on the echidna's face at not being in the same cockpit with the angry hedgehog at the moment.

"Then we gotta go back and help him!" Sonic commanded Chuck.

"We can't, Sonic!" Chuck explained to the hedgehog as he let his own frustration at the unfair situation show in his voice as well. "We only have enough fuel to get back to Earth and land!"

"I don't care! I'll push this thing back myself if I have to, but we have to go back for my little bro!!" Sonic once again got to the point at which his worry overpowered his logical thought. Before Chuck could point this out to the blue hedgehog however, a bright flash of light came from behind the X-Tornado. All eyes turned to the source as the mechanical half of the Egg Moon started to shoot out gouts of flame and debris into space from some kind of massive, internal explosion.

"Please tell me that's not what I think it is!" Rouge spoke first as the explosion continued to engulf the robotic half of the Egg Moon.

"The Egg Moon self-destructed?!" Chris shouted in horror and disbelief as he saw the fireball engulf the space station that they had been inside minutes ago.

"TAAAIIIIILLLLSS!!" Sonic howled as the brightly burning remains of the Egg Moon formed a picture in his mind that would never be erased. The now physically and mentally mutilated hedgehog collapsed to the floor at Amy's feet as he began crying uncontrollably like a newborn child. He remained that way for most of the flight back to Earth before his exertions overwhelmed him and he fainted into Amy's arms.

"Sonic… I'm sorry," Amy told the unconscious blue hedgehog softly as she also started crying for the loss of Tails, who they had risked everything to save only to lose him again. She knew that the first thing to do when they got home would be to care for Sonic's broken body, but she seriously doubted that she could ever mend his broken heart.


	21. Chapter 18: Recovery Takes Time

Lethal Mutation

Surprise! Ha, ha! It's me again! Some of you may have figured out by now that just because my last chapter was the climax, didn't mean that my story was over yet! If you had looked carefully (and a few of you did!), you would have noticed that I didn't mark my story as complete after last chapter! Also, visitors to my story's forum would have seen that I twice mentioned the completed work having 18 chapters, not 17. For those of you who got it and were expecting this, mondo huge bonus points! Everyone else is still a winner, however, because they still get to read how my story actually ends! Now, for my final shout out to all the reviewers I have ever had up until this final chapter was posted (Lord, please, don't let me forget anyone!): Shika Kev Prower, Koike, Kitsune-awesomeness, Zachary W, Nicend, Asher Tye, peterskywalker, Rae Logan, brave kid, Toko the Pikmin master, Super Dragon, ChibiRyou200, Kitsune-SuperFox, Dareth, Tailsfan007, danielle, carol, cari la fenix, Siran 774, Pokelad, Drandu, Deluxe489, Tai Sky, and Sara! Wow! I mean, seriously, Wow! Thank you so much for your dedication and kind words!

I need to send a very special thanks, though, to a few of you who went over and beyond by constantly reviewing and even taking time to chat with me off of my story as well: Asher Tye (truely an honor, keep in touch!), Zachary W (I will make sure to attend your next rave party!), Nicend (my first and everlasting reviewer!), Shika Kev Prower (thanks so much for caring as much about me as my story!), brave kid (can't wait to work on our story together more!), peterskywalker (reviewed every chapter, and much more than a sentence each time, too!), Drandu (Eggthrax, I've got to use that one someday!), Rae Logan (loved your comments on the characters!), ChibiRyou200 (you started my forum to life!), and lastly Pokelad and cari la fenix for being there ever since the start. Bonus points can't even describe my gratitude! Now, please, whether I mentioned your name or not, post a review on this last chapter with your thoughts, and come chat with me regularly on my forum. Who knows, if enough people stay in touch, I might be convinced to work on a sequel! (I already have been having a few ideas...)

Well, OK, sorry for the rambling so far. At long last, here it is. The REAL final chapter to my story! Pay close attention to the title, as it was probably the hardest one for me to get right as a description of this chapter on a whole. As you will see when you read the first few lines, everyone, minus Tails, has long since landed safely at the Thorndike's house. Now, only time can tell if their wounds will heal, both physically and emotionally. A very sad chapter, but it will definitely give you readers that sense of closure that I purposefully left out of last chapter. So, for the last time, read and enjoy the final conclusion of my first ever fanfic! Bye!

Chapter 18: Recovery Takes Time

Sunset had just finished at the Thorndike Mansion in Station Square as the last rays of light were reflected off of the abandoned X-Tornado in the driveway. It's outer hull was beginning to chill in the early night's air, having long since lost the heat from its earlier reentry to the Earth's atmosphere hours ago...

Everything was calm around the grounds of the Thorndike residence. Even the noisy crickets and other assorted insects were more silent than usual after the landing of the X-Tornado that evening. It had arrived to a joyous crowd of celebrators mobbing the mansion in an attempt to show their gratitude to the blue hedgehog that had once again saved them all from certain doom, but the crowd had instantly quieted down as Amy had dismounted the back of the X-Tornado with a battered and unconscious Sonic in her arms. The gasps from the mob of people were probably enough to suck in half the air around Station Square as Chris had helped to carry the hedgehog inside, away from the prying eyes of the media and news cameramen that all focused on the tragic shot. Mr. Tanaka, Ella, Cream, and Vanilla had ushered the wounded Sonic and his carriers to an upstairs bedroom where he could be treated and rest. No one, other than the returning group of heroes, learned about Tails' disappearance until Cream had noticed it a few minutes later. The media, despite many of the residence's members' best efforts, had found out just seconds later.

Chuck sat in the sofa alone in his secret underground lab as he watched a report from Scarlet Garcia on the small television in the recreational corner of the lab. He let out a troubled sigh as he remembered how he and Tails used to sit there together when they needed a quick break from their intense mechanical tinkering. Luckily, Rouge had been able to get the government's help in clearing the masses from the Thorndike's property, but the welcome silence had also caused even more speculation in the media. He remembered G.U.N.'s debriefing of everyone that had come back from the trip, the President's personal invitation to a celebration gala at the White House itself, even the faces of the cheering fans that had not yet learned the truth about their so called 'successful' defeat of Eggman yet again.

"Tails, I know that this is how you wanted it to be. I know that you would rather give up your own life to save everyone rather than watch Eggman destroy either of our worlds. I… I just wish it could have been different," Chuck spoke to himself as his voice began to crack from his emotions that only pushed his volume higher to fill the empty laboratory. "I wish I could have gone with you when you faced Eggman! Why didn't you ask for help?! Maybe, if I had gone with you, we would both have found a way out in time! Why did you have to leave?! We've fought Eggman together for so long, so how come this time you didn't make it back with the rest of us like you always do?! I though you promised me a few weeks ago that you wouldn't put yourself in danger like that, remember?! Remember our promise, Tails?!" Chuck screamed at the high ceiling in the subterranean lab. His anguished voice echoed back to his ears several times as the older scientist broke down into sobs on the sofa, just as he felt a soft hand touch his shoulder.

Startled, Chuck quickly turned his head to find his grandson standing in front of the sofa at his feet. Before he could even think of what to say to the intruder, Chris also burst into tears as he fell to the floor in front of Chuck and stuck his head into his grandfather's lap. Chuck quickly understood what Chris was trying to tell him, other people cared for Tails just as much as he had, and it was now his turn to comfort someone else. "Don't cry, Chris," Chuck managed to get his voice back after several attempts to form the words in his mouth, "I was just upset, that's all. I know that Tails wouldn't want us to be this sad for him. He died doing the thing that was the most important to him, and I wouldn't wish for any other kind of way for Tails to go. He was… a good friend."

"I know, grandpa," Chris replied as he lifted his head from his grandfather's lap, still crying unabatedly. "It's just, why Tails?! I mean, Tails was always the smartest one, the nicest person who always did anything to help out no matter how busy he was; why did he have to be the one to die?! How come all the best people are the ones that have to leave so soon?!" Chris managed to finish his string of questions as he again resumed his crying into Chuck's lap.

"I don't know, Chris," Chuck truthfully answered as he stared blankly at a point beyond the ceiling above his head, "I don't know."

* * *

"How long do you think he's gonna stay like that?" Knuckles addressed the person next to him as he gazed up at the figure of a blue hedgehog sitting on the rooftop, staring blindly into the stars.

"Who knows," Rouge matter-of-factly replied from her spot standing next to Knuckles in the Thorndike's back yard. "That furry little guy meant a lot to him, so he may never come down from there."

"I just can't believe that the little squirt is really gone," Knuckles dejectedly stated as he shifted his gaze to the ground below him.

"Really?!" Rouge spoke up in genuine surprise. "You of all people should have seen this coming, what with your vision and all…"

"Yeah, I know," Knuckles interrupted the remorseless bat. "It's just, I never really let it sink in, you know? I didn't really think that the prophecy would come true, or, at least, I never really wanted it to."

"Hey, you big softy," Rouge unexpectedly put her arm around Knuckles as she decided for some unknown reason to comfort the grieving echidna instead of taking advantage of his weakness, "You did what you had to do. Tails did what he felt he had to do. It's not your fault that the little guy was still in there when the Egg Moon exploded."

"Heh, thanks, Rouge," Knuckles decided to accept the much needed comfort instead of pulling back like his impulse told him to. However, the moment didn't last long before Knuckles again let his true self shine through, "But if you think that this means that I like you now, then you really are batty."

"Ha, fair enough, Knuckie-poo," Rouge playfully shot right back.

"What did you call me?!" Knuckles quickly shifted back to his usual angry self.

"Oh, well. So much for the moment," Rouge said to herself as she rolled her eyes at the echidna that she was now sure would never change.

* * *

Inside the Thorndike's mansion, everyone else was gathered in the living room in a group gathering of tears and weeping for the loss of Tails. Cream and Cheese were crying uncontrollably on the carpeted floor as Amy, Ella, and Vanilla found themselves too overcome with their own tears to assist the younger mourners for some time. Mr. Tanaka stood in the doorway of the room in his usual stance of attention, but tears also flowed down his face as well as he simply stood as still as a rock in a futile effort to act strong. No one talked as they all remembered old memories and the recent events that had concerned the missing yellow fox. Ella's celebration dinner sat unattended on the dining room table as nobody seemed to have any appetite, and everybody in the house found it impossible to keep their composure when they saw the happy decorations that Ella had used to decorate the room in anticipation of Tails' recovery due to Eggman's cure. The fact that the fox had recovered in the end did little to ease the pain of his death. The group of mourners simply sat together in the living room, crying until none of them had any tears left to shed. Cream and Cheese were the last of these people as they never did end their rivers of tears long after the others were cried out.

One of the room's occupants finally diverted her attention away from remembering the dead kitsune as she instead wondered about the one person that must have felt the most pain. _Poor Sonic. I wonder if he's OK up there?_ Amy pondered as she stared at the roof above her. _I know that he wouldn't do anything stupid like jump, but he really shouldn't be alone right now. Tails was his only family, even if I always wanted to be a part of that family. I just hope that Sonic can learn to deal with the heartache, or he might be broken like this forever. _Despite the feeling that she had already shed every drop of tears from her body, Amy still felt one more single droplet twist its path down her face at the thought._ I don't care if we ever get together or not, I just want him to be happy again,_ Amy wished in her mind to any unknown power that would grant her request.

* * *

He sat there in silence. He looked transfixed at the stars which were just starting to poke out of the darkening sky. He didn't know what he was looking for or why it was so important that he see it, but Sonic felt the uncontrollable urge to simply stare at the stars as his mind wandered aimlessly through paths of memories. Memories of him and his little brother played before his mind's eye for what had now seemed like days to the zen-like hedgehog. Some memories brought tears to the blue hedgehog's eyes but almost all of them were happy as Sonic found himself smiling despite the pain of his loss. _This is the way you wanted it, right little bro? You would have wanted me to be happy for the good times we had instead of livin' the rest of my life as beat up as I am now. I just wish that I could have told you some things before you had to go, Tails. I wanted to tell you how much you really meant to me; how much I really cared for you. _

So far the blue hedgehog's thoughts had been controlled and peaceful. However, the idea of the finality of Tails death struck the unstable hedgehog yet again as his composure once again disintegrated under the pressure of his grief. _Now, I'll never get that chance to make you understand, just like Vanilla made me understand, that we need each other! How can I go on without you, little bro?! I can't be strong unless you're here with me! If only I had been faster, I could have gotten you out of there in time! Even if I hadn't been fast enough, at least we would have gone out together! Please, Tails, I can't go back to my life before I met you! I… I never really told you why I still liked to share a room with you, did I? _Sonic tried to ask the absent fox as he almost half-expected an answer. But, of course, none came as the distraught blue hero finally managed to calm himself down for the umpteenth-millionth time in the last hour alone.

He let his mind wander back over his endless stream of memories of the young fox. Pictures of Tails' smiling face filled his head as the blue hedgehog finally seemed to understand what had been there all along. _You always knew, _Sonic finally concluded as he saw the world through his little brother's eyes. _You understood all along, didn't ya, buddy? That's why you never left my side even when I just treated you like a sidekick. You knew all along that I cared for you and that's why you always worked so hard to help me and everyone else all the time instead of thinking about yourself. I don't know how I didn't ever see it before. You were just always there, so I took you for granted until things started going wrong a few weeks ago._

Sonic felt even more tears welling up in his eyes as he continued thinking about what he and Tails had gone through in the last three weeks. He made no effort to stop them as his mind wandered yet again into the realm of despair. _Maybe I lost you because I am the one who killed you in the first place, _Sonic thought as his mind compared his faults to his seemingly infallible late brother. _Twice I almost destroyed the whole world just because I was selfish and wanted to save you, so we could be together. Both times, you had to save me from certain death and set things right again on your own. If I hadn't of been so selfish, if I hadn't of tried to hold on to you so much, maybe you would still be here right now. Even the way you died wasn't selfish, bro. Those people that you died to save are the very same ones that ridiculed you and despised you so much as a little kid. They are the reason for all the pain you went through before you met me! How could anyone but you have a heart so big that they would die for their enemies? And the worst part is that they will never know what you did for them, _Sonic finished his train of thought as he realized that Tails would never be remembered for all his heroic deeds. Sure, Sonic would always be known as a hero in whatever universe he appeared in, but only the fox's closest friends would ever know how much Tails had contributed to fighting Eggman and all other sorts of evil monsters as well, or how great a sacrifice he paid in the end to save not one, but two whole worlds.

_After all that we went through to save you, you knew what was the most important, little bro. You never once put your own life in front of anyone else's. You were even stronger and braver than I am, buddy. You're more of a hero than I'll ever be. Not even I have saved two whole planets at the same time! I just wish you would have known it before you had to go._ _I wish I would have been brave enough to make you realize how important you really were, to me and everyone else. _Sonic's mind once again stopped its depressing monologue as the blue hedgehog again resumed his stargazing. He saw the sky slowly fill with brightly burning debris from the small pieces of the Egg Moon that had been blown off by the huge explosion as they incinerated on their reentry to the Earth's atmosphere. He tried to keep his mind off the fact that any one of those quick streaks of light could have been the body of his dead brother. _Heh, being cremated in mid-air, _Sonic almost laughed as he realized the probable fate of Tails' body, _that's exactly what he would have wanted, to be scattered out into the sky he loved so much. At least now I know that wherever I go, a part of my little bro will be there with me._

Sonic's morbid, but oddly comforting, revelry was interrupted just then by a loud sound coming from the sky above him. As he quickly craned his neck to see, a bright streak of light fell towards the mansion on a path to collide with an unoccupied section of the backyard. _Wow! This one's gonna hit!_ the alarmed hedgehog noticed as he managed to stand up again, despite his extensive injuries, and climb back into the house to tell the others as he heard the loud thump of the object's impact. However, he found everyone else already outside as they all started to gather around a smoking, somewhat spherical chunk of debris that had landed upright directly behind the mansion. Sonic quickly walked up to the strange object as the rest of the household and its guests stood in a semi-circle behind him to get a better view of the thing. Carefully touching the hot metal with his gloved hands, Sonic proceeded to clear a small patch of soot off the object's clearly defined front. What he saw underneath the thin layer of ash was a sight that he should have expected, but still didn't want to see at the moment.

"That's Eggman's symbol!" Chris blurted out as Sonic's hand moved to reveal the red outline of the Doctor's smiling face and moustache.

"Hey, that's right!" Rouge confirmed the trademark logo of the evil genius. "And this thing looks like it's Eggy's chair!" she also observed.

"Hrrrrr! Eggman, come out of there right now!! I've got a few things I want to do to you for killing my brother!!" Sonic shouted in rage at the pod. Indeed the burnt device was Eggman's chair, but the top was sealed shut by a large, metal shield that kept anyone from looking inside to see the occupants of the one man craft.

A low groaning noise was heard coming from the normally floating chair as its occupant no doubt began to awaken from the impact of reentry to the loud shouting of the irate blue hedgehog. However, no movement was apparent inside the sealed off chair itself as everyone waited for the solid metal canopy to open up.

"Let me crack that egg open for ya, Sonic!" Knuckles shouted as he brought back one of his fists for a mighty blow that would probably shatter the extremely durable pod. He checked his fist just moments before it made impact by a sudden voice that called out from inside the metal cocoon.

"Wait! It's not what you think, guys!" a voice called out to the gathered crowd. The large metal canopy surrounding Eggman's chair made the sound almost inaudible, but it was clear to everyone that it didn't belong to Dr. Robotnik. Suddenly the large dome of metal that encompassed the rider's portion of the levitating chair split in half and fell apart, leaving the sole occupant of the device to finally see the stunned faces of everyone around him.

"No, it can't be…" Chuck muttered to himself as everyone's jaw dropped to the ground, or at least as close as they could get.

Climbing out of the crashed pod in front of them, was a sight none of the people gathered around had ever thought that they would see again. Twin, bushy, yellow appendages wagging slowly behind him, came out of the wreckage the welcome figure of Tails.

"Bro! You're real, you're really here!" Sonic shouted as he rushed over to the fox and gripped him in a tight bear hug to ensure that it wasn't an illusion.

"Aaaahh! Sonic! Sonic! Yes, it's me! Now let go, you're crushing me!" the yellow fox almost screamed in a mixture of excitement and pain from the hedgehog's grip. After the blue hedgehog finally released him from the constricting hold, Tails managed to get a close look at his older brother for the first time since the Egg Moon hours ago. "Oh No! Sonic, what happened to you! You look like you can barely stand up!" Tails commented on the beat up hedgehog.

"You don't look the world's best yourself, bro!" Sonic playfully joked back at the concerned fox.

He was right, however. Tails' body was almost as mutilated as Sonic's from the pounding he had received during the explosion from ricocheting off the burning walls of Eggman's chair after he had sealed himself inside. The kit had been extremely lucky that, instead of staying in the epicenter of the blast where his safety shield of Eggman's chair would have surely disintegrated in seconds, his makeshift lifeboat had been blown with one of the larger plumes of fire out of the Egg Moon entirely and on a course for reentry to Earth. However, Tails didn't for one moment believe that he had just gotten lucky as he quietly thanked his mother and father for their protection yet again.

"But, how did you know to use Eggman's chair to survive the explosion, Tails?!" Chris asked in disbelief of the incredible odds that the fox must have beaten just to survive, let alone land safely in his backyard.

"It was simple, really," Tails explained to everyone around him, "No matter how many times we attack him and his robots, Eggman's chair always seems to be his only creation that ever survives, no matter what! So, I figured that if it worked for Eggman, it could also work for me!"

The whole crowd burst into fits of laughter as they finally let their sorrows from a minute ago escape at the illogical, yet rational observation coupled with the sight of the yellow and white fox standing before them. Even those who thought that they had no more tears left to cry began shedding tears of joy at the unexpected return of the kitsune that had been presumed dead ever since the Egg Moon explosion. No one dared to move as they all seemed to wish that the happiness of that moment would never end. Finally, one person decided to ask a question that had just started bothering them at the sight of the fox alive again.

"But, what about the prophecy?" Knuckles spoke up in a puzzled tone. "I mean, how could you still be alive, Tails, unless the Master Emerald was wrong?!"

"I actually thought about that for a little while when I woke up while floating through space," Tails quickly answered. "You and Rouge were right about me being the one mentioned in the prophecy, but I think you got the wrong world and the wrong destiny! You see, I think that my destiny was to stop Eggman from infecting everyone on Mobius with my father's virus that he was able to recreate through my DNA, and, if I had failed, everyone on Mobius would share the same fate as I have in being turned into a mutant like me! So, you see, according to your vision, I never really had to die at all!" Tails concluded his explanation of the misinterpreted prophecy.

"Well, I guess we were both wrong then, right, Knuckie?" Rouge taunted the relieved echidna.

"For the first time ever, I'm glad that I was wrong!" Knuckles responded as everyone else once again chuckled at the comical expression and unusual words from the prideful echidna. Another moment of silence followed as everyone wondered what to do next.

"So, now what?" Chris spoke up as everyone just stood staring at Tails and he, in turn, looked at everyone else.

"Well, I've gotta fly pretty soon, kiddies," Rouge told the assembled group. "Topaz and the President say that they want me to give them a detailed report on what happened as soon as possible."

"I've got to get going soon, too!" Knuckles shouted as he suddenly remembered his earlier arrangement with a friend. "I told Hawk that I would go and help him find some ancient map for some scientist studying a lost island!"

"Well, thanks for helping us out, guys," Tails thanked the two freelance creatures that had come to his and his friend's aid.

"Anytime, kiddo!" Knuckles nodded his head in response. "But, we don't have to leave just yet. Why don't we all go inside and celebrate together?"

"That sounds like fun!" Cream exclaimed, clearly excited at the idea.

"Chao! Chao, chao!" Cheese agreed.

For a while, nobody moved, even after the motion to return to the mansion was agreed on by everyone. The shock of Tails being alive after everyone had just started to think of him as dead still kept everyone rooted in place. Finally, Chuck broke the spell-like stillness and stepped forward to the yellow fox and gave him a gentle squeeze in front of everyone.

"Welcome back, Tails," the elderly scientist greeted his partner that he had almost lost forever. "Things wouldn't have been the same without you."

"(cough) Thanks, Chuck," the yellow kit replied.

"What was that?" Chuck asked Tails in surprise at the unexpected noise the fox had made just before his last sentence.

"Huh? What do you mean, Chuck?" Tails wondered why his friend had suddenly gotten so worried.

"Just a second ago, I swear I heard you…" Chuck's next sentence was interrupted by a quick series of coughs from the two-tailed fox standing in front of him as Tails quickly covered his mouth with his fist.

"Oh my!" Ella broke in from her spot in the rear of the assembled crowd.

"Indeed," Mr. Tanaka also spoke from his spot next to Ella in the back of the group, "I do believe that Master Tails may not be feeling well at the moment."

"What?! No! I… I feel fine!" Tails interjected as he was quickly forced to turn his head for a loud sneeze.

"It sure doesn't look that way to me," Amy unhelpfully pressed the issue as she grinned a half comforting and half sadistic smile towards the fox.

"No, really, guys! I'm fine, see! I'm… Ooooooohh!" the poor kit futilely tried to convince the others as he suddenly clutched his stomach in pain and almost doubled over.

"I guess that Eggman's cure may have stopped your body's production of the neurotoxins, Tails, but it will probably be a while before your immune system gets back to full strength again," Chuck broke in as he saw Vanilla walk up and put a hand on the fox's forehead in a crude test of his health. A single nod from the motherly rabbit told everyone the results of her experiment.

"But, (cough) how did I get sick this time?" Tails asked as he gave up on trying to prove that he was healthy when even he could plainly tell that he was not. "It's not like I was buried under an avalanche like last time!"

"Outer space is pretty cold, bro!" Sonic said as he gently patted his sick brother on the back. "Believe me, I know!"

"But, I just got out of bed before I left with you guys for the Egg Moon! You can't tell me that (cough) now I have to go right back!" Tails shouted in protest to once again being confined to his comfortable prison.

"Come on, Tails," Cream spoke as she and Cheese grabbed both of the fox's hands and started to pull him towards the house, "Cheese and I will take you to Chris's room, where Ella can get you some nice warm soup and my mom and I can help fix up all your bruises!" the young bunny finished in a happy and almost excited tone.

Tails tried planting his feet to resist being dragged off by the overly helpful bunny and chao, but his injuries and the surprisingly strong tug from both of his captors still allowed him to be pulled towards the mansion at a good pace. He glanced over his shoulder to the rest of the assembled household, plus Knuckles and Rouge, as he worked up the most pitiful facial expression he could muster in hopes of convincing someone to assist him in breaking free from the duo's grip, but no one moved as the poor fox was dragged farther away towards the back door of the Thorndike's house. "(cough) Not again…" Tails half muttered, half moaned as he gave up on fighting and instead cooperated with Cream and Cheese in escorting him to his sick bed once more. Behind him, he could still hear the soft laughter of the others in the backyard as they overheard his final complaint and pitied the once again bedridden fox that had saved them all, in more ways then he would ever know.


End file.
